The University of Texas at Dallas
The School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences
Behavioral and Brain Sciences Research Stimulus Grants

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that four Behavioral and Brain Sciences (BBS) faculty and their collaborators have been awarded 2019 BBS Research Stimulus Grants.
  • Dr. Heidi Kane will use her award to obtain preliminary data on a novel sleep manipulation and its effects on cognitive function and inflammation.
  • Drs. Sven Kroener and Francesca Filbey will use their award to initiate a new collaboration to expand and translate findings from rodent models of substance use disorders to human populations. They will study the ability of vagus nerve stimulation to enhance executive functions in addiction.
  • Dr. Meghan Swanson will use her award to obtain pilot data from home recordings on the utility of vocalizations by high-risk infants as a marker of subsequent autism diagnosis.
  • Drs. Katy Thorn and Christa McIntyre will use their award to obtain pilot data on the mechanisms by which vagus nerve stimulation enhances extinction of conditioned fear.
Congratulations to these superb BBS scientists and best wishes for successful extramural research grant applications.

Steven L. Small
Dean, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences