Media Highlights 2019
Medical News Today: Could this Protein Explain why Migraine is More Common in Women?
Dec 2, 2019
“This is the first study to show that CGRP might act differently between sexes. It also shows that CGRP can have a pain-related effect in the meninges, which is something that has been questioned in the literature previously.” — Dr. Greg Dussor, associate professor at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
The Future of Learning: ‘Superagers’ and Lifelong Learning
Nov 15, 2019
After the Fact podcast episode 69 — Dr. Denise C. Park, Distinguished University Chair in Behavioral and Brain Sciences and director of research at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Center for Vital Longevity.
A Healthy Dose of Fear? 3 Ways Being Scared Can Improve your Health
Oct 30, 2019
“Fear itself can be really debilitating unless you’ve had some exposure to it and developed some resilience.” — Dr. Christa McIntyre, associate professor in cognition and neuroscience at the School of Behavorial and Brain Sciences.
Can CGRP Help Clarify Why Migraine Is More Common in Women?
Oct 7, 2019
“The meninges that cover the brain are a fairly important location for headaches. We think that CGRP can, and should, work there.” — Dr. Greg Dussor, associate professor at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
Lab Examines Early Language Acquisition
Sep 15, 2019
“These are babies that have an older sibling with autism and due to the genetic liability of autism they are at an increased risk of developing autism themselves so about 20% of them go on to have autism.” — Dr. Meghan Swanson, associate professor of psychology at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
A Top CEO Shares 3 Daily Exercises that Help Rewire His Brain for Success
Sep 3, 2019
If you want to enhance your mental capacity, it can be difficult to know which brain exercises to adopt. Thankfully, the experts at the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas came up with a useful exercise.
Training Initiative Targets Cognitive Performance
Aug 14, 2019
“It’s about recognizing every day we only have so many mental resources. So we have to determine how those resources are going to be dedicated daily.” — Katie Hinds, lead clinician at the Brain Performance Institute’s Warrior Initiative.
Early Exposure to Speech May Shape Autistic Children’s Language Ability
Aug 1, 2019
“The new study is the first to look at this association in autistic children under 1 year old. Its findings suggest that coaching parents who have one autistic child to talk to their later babies could be beneficial.” — Dr. Meghan Swanson, associate professor of psychology at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
Happy? Sad? New UTD Study Uses AI to Examine What Affects Our Emotions
Jul 30, 2019
“The approach of gathering and analyzing moment-by-moment biometric data has a lot of potential for cognitive neuroscience research and offers an innovative application for AI.” — Dr. Daniel Krawczyk, Debbie and Jim Francis Chair and professor of cognitive neuroscience and cognitive psychology at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Center for BrainHealth.
Can Insect Enzymes and Brain Implants Offer a Future Without Opioids?
Jul 20, 2019
“If we could replace the entire opioid pharmacopoeia, I think everybody would be really happy.” — Dr. Theodore Price, professor of neuroscience at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
Everyday Improvements You Can Make Right Now to Boost Your Brain Health and Extend Your Mindspan
Jul 12, 2019
“Processing power typically peaks by the early 20s, later for short-term memory (35), emotional intelligence (40s and 50s) and vocabulary (early 70s). Cognitive brain health declines because we let it. With age, we tend to move more on autopilot, learn less, have fewer new experiences, lean on habits and develop more chronic illnesses.” — Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman, Dee Wyly Distinguished University Chair and professor and founder and chief director at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Center for BrainHealth.
Tips From UTD Experts: Keeping Your Kids and Yourself Hydrated During Summer
Jul 3, 2019
“Summer is here, and as the weather continues to heat up, staying hydrated is vital, especially for little ones. Dehydration can lead to loss of energy, lethargy, irritability, headaches, difficulty sleeping, constipation, fainting and, if severe, can lead to more dire consequences.” — Jenny McGlothlin, speech-language pathologist, and clinician at the UT Dallas Callier Center for Communication Disorders.
UT System Board of Regents Announces Outstanding Educators for 2019
Jul 1, 2019
The 2019 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award will be presented to 27 faculty members from all 14 UT academic and health institutions during the Board of Regents meeting Aug. 14 in Austin. Each recipient will receive a certificate, a medallion and $25,000 in appreciation of their impact on students and their institutions. Associate professor Noah Sasson, PhD in BBS will be one of the recipients.
Neurons Go Haywire During Pain From Nerve Injury
Jul 1, 2019
The current study provides an explanation, showing that human neurons affected by chronic pain are spontaneously active, just as is the case in animals. “We think that our paper, the electrophysiology, is the first evidence that this firing definitively happens in people.” — Dr. Theodore Price, professor of neuroscience at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
Nicotine and Cannabis Have Offsetting Effects on Resting Brain Connectivity
Jun 24, 2019
“These findings illustrate that there are complex interactions at work between nicotine and cannabis. While we know these two substances have overlapping effects, there is a lot we don’t know about these interactions. It is clear, however, that understanding how the brain reacts to nicotine and cannabis has important implications for treatment.” — Dr. Francesca Filbey, professor and program head, Cognition and Neuroscience, Bert Moore Chair in BrainHealth and director of cognitive neuroscience of addictive behaviors at the Center for BrainHealth.
The Science of Happiness
Jun 17, 2019
Leanne Young, PhD, from the Brain Performance Institute, discusses with Bernadette Fiaschetti, of One Life Radio on iHeartRadio, how to train your brain to be happier. Happiness relates to brain health on how we live our lives, what we say and what we think.
Fox4ward: Boosting Memory with Electrical Current
Jun 17, 2019
There’s lots of talk these days about boosting our mental performance. For example, if you want to enhance your memory, how about zapping your brain with an electrical current? Some new research indicates it could be helpful for those 60 and over. — Interview on Fox 4 News with Dr. Daniel Krawczyk, Debbie and Jim Francis Chair and associate professor of cognitive neuroscience and cognitive psychology at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Center for BrainHealth.
Virtual Reality Can Help Kids Build Social Skills
Jun 7, 2019
Maria Johnson, MA, CCC — SLP, the Director of Youth and Family Innovations at the Brain Performance Institute discusses with Bernadette Fiaschetti, of One Life Radio on iHeartRadio, Charisma™, a virtual social training platform that teaches social strategies to enhance the way individuals think, work and thrive socially. It provides the flexibility our trained experts require to teach these strategies effectively.
Detecting Lying
Jun 3, 2019
Linda Nguyen, PhD student at UT Dallas and a research assistant at the Center for BrainHealth, discusses with Bernadette Fiaschetti, of One Life Radio on iHeartRadio how people think and interact with one another. She discusses implicit bias and detecting if someone is lying to you.
Stress is Aging our Brains, But we can Reverse the Impact
Jun 2, 2019
Stress. We all feel it. We know it’s affecting us, but do we truly know how much? Consider this: We know that stress creates tension in our bodies, affects our mood and even our sleep. — Written by Jennifer Howland and Dianna Jaffin, both associated with the Brain Performance Institute, part of the Center for BrainHealth.
Healthy Brains Healthy Cities
May 24, 2019
“It’s more than memory, more than speed of processing. It really is the ability to think and solve the problems that we’re faced with every day.” — Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman, Dee Wyly Distinguished University Chair and professor and founder and chief director at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Center for BrainHealth.
Scientifically, This is the Best Age for you to Lead
May 9, 2019
“The theory states that as the brain perceives challenges to cognition, it can find new ways to work around them. An older person may use more regions of her brain to accomplish a task than a younger individual, but both people could do the job equally well.” — Dr. Denise C. Park, Distinguished University Chair in Behavioral and Brain Sciences and director of research at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Center for Vital Longevity.
What Does Your Brain Think About the Modern Workplace?
May 1, 2019
“While the science is helping us to understand environmental conditions for optimal performance, the truth is that we are currently working with the brain we’ve built. It may be surprising, but much of the way we function in the modern workplace is toxic to our brain health, and this translates to a cost on our performance.” — Jennifer Zientz, who heads the Center for BrainHealth’s clinical services.
Can you Train Your Brain to Work Better?
Apr 28, 2019
“Eighty percent of what we learn is through our eyes. Think about where you are. What your feet feel like. What does your body feel like? Are you pulling your coat closer? Opening it up because you think it’s warm weather? What do you hear? What sounds do you hear? What do you smell? Do you taste anything?” — Bonnie Pittman, former director of the Dallas Museum of Art and currently an educator at the Center for BrainHealth.
Research Underscores Value of Cognitive Training for Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment
Apr 10, 2019
“This study adds to the compelling evidence that cognitive training provides an intervention option to benefit people with MCI, to strengthen their cognitive capacity and even their daily memory function.” The study’s lead author, Namrata Das, MD, MPH, works in the lab of the chief director, Dr. Sandra B. Chapman, of the Center for BrainHealth.
Migraine-Linked Protein Exhibits Sex-Specific Pain Effects
Apr 8, 2019
“Although CGRP plays a clear role in migraine, this does not imply that migraine is exclusively a CGRP-based disorder. This is just the beginning of demonstrations showing that CGRP might act differently in women.” — Dr. Greg Dussor, associate professor at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
Montfort raises $500 for Super Ears for Super Kids
Apr 1, 2019
Graycie Montfort, a fifth grader from Collins Intermediate School and member of Emhouse 4–H, donated $500 over Spring Break to The University of Texas at Dallas’ Callier Center for Communication Disorders to help families with the cost of hearing aids for their children.
Why the Sexes Don’t Feel Pain the Same Way
Mar 27, 2019
“It’s much harder to investigate these pain pathways in people, but clues are emerging.” — Dr. Theodore Price, associate professor of neuroscience at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
How To Recapture Peace and Quiet In a Noisy World
Mar 27, 2019
“They’re worth the price if you can swing it. They block background sounds well enough that you’ll be able to listen to something at a quieter level.” — Dr. Colleen Le Prell, the Emilie and Phil Schepps Professor of Hearing Science and professor and program head of Audiology.
How the Brain Performance Institute Is Changing the Perceptions of the Corporate World
Mar 2019
“Many professionals wear their ability to multitask like a badge of honor, but the training teaches otherwise. Many people feel they aren’t being efficient if they aren’t checking their email during a conference call or meeting, but CBH research pushes back against being constantly busy and overstimulated. These pervasive behaviors make meetings inefficient and ineffective, and the cost of that is significant.” — Jennifer Zientz, who heads the Center for BrainHealth’s clinical services.
Women’s Pain is Different from Men’s — The Drugs Could be Too
Mar 19, 2019
“The acknowledgement of sex differences in pain could stir up the field and lead to new advances. Amid the promise of personalized medicine, with drugs tailored to patients based on genetic sequencing, developing pain medicines for half the population seems like a no-brainer.” — Dr. Theodore Price, associate professor of neuroscience at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
New Childhood Development Study Follows 300 Minority Families In North Texas
Mar 14, 2019
“There are many studies that show growing up with inadequate resources in terms of family income is one strong predictor, and you know the disparities in school achievement related to income is just so very persistent. What we’re trying to do is dig a little deeper, and one aspect that we’ve really focused on is what we call quality of parenting.” — Margaret Owen, Robinson Family Professor at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences and director of the Center for Children and Families.
$10 Million to Help Study Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
Mar 11, 2019
Dr. Colleen Le Prell, the Emilie and Phil Schepps Professor of Hearing Science and professor and program head of Audiology is a collaborator on the study.
Explore the Hidden Wonders, Technology Happening Right Here in Dallas with Science in the City
Mar 8, 2019
Over the next five Saturdays, Dallas Morning News readers and members of the general public will have the chance to explore these important advances firsthand. Southern Methodist University, UT Southwestern Medical Center, the University of Texas at Dallas, UTDs’ Center for BrainHealth, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, and the nonprofit talkSTEM have partnered with The Dallas Morning News to connect the Dallas-Fort Worth community with researchers working at the frontiers of their fields.
Science in the City Promises a Cool Study of Self-Driving Cars, Prehistoric Animals and Earthquakes
Mar 6, 2019
This year, “Science in the City” will unfold over a series of Saturdays from March 16 to April 13. Visitors will learn about groundbreaking brain research, self-driving cars, artificial limbs, prehistoric animals, earthquakes and nuclear explosions.
Center for BrainHealth Conducts National Study
Feb 25, 2019
“We have the immense potential to keep our brain functioning stronger every single day. I think, for me as a cognitive neuroscientist, one of the most surprising things is that compared to other aspects of our health, the brain is the only part of our body that we only focus on when something goes wrong.” — Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman, Dee Wyly Distinguished University Chair and professor and founder and chief director at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Center for BrainHealth.
Our Brains Need Exercise, Too
Feb 6, 2019
“Awareness of the steps to improve cognitive brain function is at least a generation behind that of heart health. When our fathers and grandparents died of a heart attack or stroke, we chalked it up to tragic luck. Clogged arteries, high blood pressure and high cholesterol were considered normal features of aging before 1948.” — Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman, Dee Wyly Distinguished University Chair and professor and founder and chief director at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Center for BrainHealth.
Woman with Rare Condition Couldn’t Hear Male Voices
Jan 11, 2019
“Causes of the sudden onset of RSHL can include blood vessel problems or trauma. Autoimmune disorders that affect the inner ear — which are thought to occur in about 1 percent of the U.S. population — may also be a cause of RSHL.” — Jackie Clark, clinical professor at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences and past president of the American Academy of Audiology.
Hearing Aid Upkeep Often Out of Reach for the Poor
Jan 8, 2019
“Getting Medicare to cover costs in full would go a long way to ensuring that those at all income levels get the devices and continuous care they need.” — Jackie Clark, clinical professor at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences and past president of the American Academy of Audiology.
What’s the Worst Pain?
Jan 7, 2019
“I think that the worst kind of physical pain is the type that you feel you cannot control. This is a huge issue with people with intractable chronic pain, as the pain often was originally a result of an injury that has long-since healed but there is no sign of the pain relenting.” — Dr. Theodore Price, associate professor of neuroscience at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
