Neuroscience

Using magnetic resonance elastography to detect epilepsy

2020-09-08

A new study uses magnetic resonance elastography to compare the stiffness of the hippocampus in patients who have epilepsy with healthy individuals. The technique can improve the detection and characterization of the disease.

MCB students launch big dreams with the iVenture program

2020-07-24

iVenture is a year-long program that aids student entrepreneurs from across campus to develop their startup ideas. The program provides students with multiple resources and support to help their venture succeed.

Simulated sea slug gets addicted to drug

2020-06-16

Cyberslug was modeled on Pleurobranchaea californica, a sea slug with a simple nervous system.

Rhanor Gillette and his colleagues simulated a sea slug brain in a computer model, added a few extra circuits, and gave it access to food and an intoxicating drug. The work offers insight into the process of addiction and will be a useful tool for further studies, Gillette said.

Researchers find mutation hotspots for severe form of genetic epilepsy that give insights into the underlying pathogenesis

2020-05-06

The lab of Hee Jung Chung, Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, recently released a paper in Scientific Reports titled “Identifying mutation hotspots reveals pathogenetic mechanisms of KCNQ2 epileptic encephalopathy” to help fill in the gaps in our...

Spinal cord gives bio-bots walking rhythm

2020-04-28

Miniature biological robots are making greater strides than ever, thanks to the spinal cord directing their steps. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign researchers developed the tiny walking “spinobots,” powered by rat muscle and spinal cord tissue on a soft, 3D-printed hydrogel skeleton....

Study reveals neuronal response following chronic activation of an epilepsy- and autism-linked receptor

2020-03-30

First author Dai-Chi Liu alongside Dr. Nien-Pei Tsai.

Group 1 metabotropic glutamate receptors (Gp1 mGluRs) are essential for neuroplasticity, neurodevelopment and cognition, but chronically active Gp1 mGluRs has been linked to many pathologic conditions including epilepsy and autism spectrum disorders. To characterize the effects of chronically...

Meet MCB: Professor Dan Llano

2019-12-31

Professor Daniel Llano is a neurologist at the Carle Neuroscience Institute and has been a faculty member in the MIP department since 2010. He obtained his BS, PhD, and MD at UIUC before moving to Massachusetts to pursue his clinical training at Harvard Medical School. He later became a post-...

Meet MCB: Professor Lori Raetzman

2019-12-31

Professor Lori Raetzman joined the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2005. Since joining, the Raetzman group has produced highly impactful work regarding the development and function of both the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus. Over the past 14 years, students from the Raetzman lab...

Study: Heterozygous loss of KCNQ2 potassium channel gene induces autism-associated behaviors

2019-08-21

Molecular and integrative physiology professor Hee Jung Chung, her postdoctoral fellow Eung Chang Kim, Psychology professor Justin Rhodes, and their colleagues discovered that heterozygous loss of KCNQ2 potassium channel gene induces autism-associated behaviors in mice including social avoidance,...

Living in a Cacophonous World

2018-12-31

We live in an environment characterized by a multitude of complex, diverse sounds. The ability to filter, select and understand specific sounds from this rich environment can impact learning, speech, and even our survival. Just imagine driving your car in heavy traffic while listening intently...

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