New research done in collaboration between David Anderson, PhD, Seymour Benzer Professor of Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and director of the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience and a team at the Allen Institute for Brain Science recently discovered rare brain cell types that are unique to male mice and other types that […]

Caltech Professor Mikhail Shapiro has overcome one of the main limitations to using “reporter genes,” markers that help researchers get a sense for what cells are doing. Because light does not penetrate well through most living tissue, the commonly used green fluorescent protein cannot be used for monitoring the activity of cells deep inside an […]

Ever wonder why you can remember the name of your childhood best friend that you haven’t seen in years yet easily forget the name of a person you just met a moment ago?   New research done in the laboratory of TCCI®-affiliated biology professor Carlos Lois at Caltech, uses mouse models to determine that strong, […]

New research from TCCI®-affiliated faculty member, Professor Angelike Stathopoulos, at Caltech illuminates how proteins act like conductors, giving cues during the earliest stages of development in fruit flies. This work will help us better understand basic biology underlying human development.   Read more on Caltech’s website

Caltech scientists have answered a long-debated question about the role of serotonin in relation to sleep, finding that it IS necessary for sleep in Zebrafish and mouse models.   The work is a collaboration between the Caltech laboratories of David Prober, professor of biology and affiliated faculty member of TCCI® at Caltech and Viviana Gradinaru, […]

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects an estimated one in 59 people in the United States, causing a variety of difficulties with social communication and repetitive behavior. Many factors, including genetic and environmental effects, are believed to influence symptoms, and there are no approved treatments. Now, using mouse models, Caltech researchers have discovered that gut bacteria […]

Yuki Oka, an assistant professor of biology and Chen Scholar at Caltech, wanted to better understand how the brain processes satiation and pleasure signals related to drinking. He was curious for example why, after you have exercised on a hot day, a cool glass of water will quench your thirst immediately—even before your body has […]

New research conducted by Dean Mobbs, assistant professor of cognitive neuroscience at Caltech shows that individuals with anxiety escape distant threats of danger sooner. The study appeared online May 20 in the journal Human Nature Behavior and was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the Tianqiao & Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience.   Read more […]

Seeking to discover basic limits on the brain’s plasticity, a new Caltech study discovered that learning is indeed easier when related to skills one already has because pre-existing neuronal structure constrains what one can learn. In other words, it is likely that the skills we already have developed restrict what we can learn easily in […]

Potato chips, French fries, popcorn—whichever your preference, we all know that salt is a key component of many tasty foods. But eating too much salt has potential health risks and can lead to cardiovascular and cognitive disorders. Now, Caltech researchers in the lab of Yuki Oka, an assistant professor of biology and Chen Scholar, have […]