Neurological and Behavioral Disorders

Meet Michael Schappe, new assistant professor of molecular and integrative physiology

2025-11-21

The School of Molecular & Cellular Biology and Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology are pleased to welcome new faculty member Dr. Michael Schappe. He joins the school as an assistant...

NIH grant to support research into connections between autism, sensory hypersensitivity

2024-02-29

Supported by a $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, the Auerbach Lab will examine how different genes associated with autism spectrum disorders may similarly impact our brain’s neurons, resulting in heightened sensitivity to sounds. Autism spectrum disorders are...

Sweeney Lab demonstrates how neurons with melanocortin-3 receptor regulate anxiety-related behavior

2023-10-12

Paper authors stand on the stairs outside Burrill Hall. From left, back row, Jared Butts, Patrick Sweeney, Ingrid Possa, Dajin Cho

In a new study, University of Illinois scientists have shown how a specific group of neurons respond to information about an animal’s energy state and external challenges to regulate anxiety, fear, and similar behavior. The findings, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, suggest these...

Fetal exposure to PCBs affects hearing health later in life

2023-06-05

Photo of Dan Llano sitting in front of a microscope and computer.

Researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology found that early exposure to an environmental chemical called polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, made it more difficult for mice to recover from sound-related trauma sustained later in life.

Researchers uncover a regulatory site in RNA helicase MOV10 and its effect on mRNAs targeted for AGO2 silencing

2023-04-14

University of Illinois scientists have identified the phosphorylation site and its consequence on the function of MOV10, an RNA helicase expressed in early brain development and required for embryo viability, illuminating this RNA binding proteins’ relation to microRNA pathways and its effect on...

Recent research from Christian-Hinman lab provides foundation for new experimental designs to study epilepsy

2022-06-07

Illustration of the hippocampus by Adobe Stock and SciePro.

Patients with temporal lobe epilepsy, the most common form of focal epilepsy, often have seizures that start from one side of the hippocampus and not the other. Such patients may also experience complications such as cognitive impairment and reproductive endocrine disruption. Although it’s been...

New ultrasound tool measures blood flow, images microvasculature in the brain

2022-06-02

Standing: Pengfei Song (left); Dan Llano. Seated: Qi You.

Researchers at the Beckman Institute developed a technique for producing super-resolution ultrasound images of tissue microvasculature in just a fraction of the time previously needed. Their work could enable future research into the neurovascular mechanisms behind conditions like Alzheimer’s...

Decoding Life with MCB: Eating Disorders

2022-05-04

Decoding Life with MCB album artwork - orange-shaded picture of Alma, with caption Season 1, Episode 2: Eating Disorders.

Life is extraordinary. So is the work we do. In a brand new podcast series, Decoding Life with MCB, the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign explores the impact of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni in each episode.

Research illuminates balancing act for protein linked to Fragile X Syndrome and Alzheimer's disease

2022-04-26

Researchers Simón Lizarazo and Dr. Nien-Pei Tsai stand shoulder to shoulder outside Burrill Hall at the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology.

A new study by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign suggests the overexpression of a particular gene could serve as a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. Their findings could also lead to better understandings of the links between Alzheimer’s disease, Fragile X Syndrome, and...

MCB team identifies compound with potent antiseizure effects

2022-03-22

Researchers Hee Jung Chung and Jennifer Walters stand together for photo in Chung Lab.

Researchers studying epileptic seizures of the temporal lobe – the most common type of epilepsy – discovered a compound that reduces seizures in the hippocampus, a brain region where many such seizures originate. The compound, known as TC-2153, lessened the severity of seizures in mice. The...

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