News releases
May 2013
First UC Davis Alzheimer's Disease Center distinguished lecture to explore artistry in dementia
May 7, 2013 — “Portraits of Artists with Dementia” is the topic of the first UC Davis Alzheimer’s Disease Center Distinguished Lecture, to be presented by Bruce L. Miller, director of the UC San Francisco Memory and Aging Center, on Thursday, May 23. The lecture will be presented from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the UC Davis MIND Institute, 2825 50th St., Sacramento. The discussion is free and open to the public; no reservations are required.
March 2013
Development of the brain's networks topic of next MIND Institute Distinguished Lecture
March 27, 2013 — Bradley L. Schlaggar of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis will discuss “Development of the Brain’s Functional Networks” during the next UC Davis MIND Institute Distinguished Lecturer Series presentation.
UC Davis MIND Institute holds National Autism Awareness Month activities
March 5, 2013 — April is National Autism Awareness Month and the UC Davis MIND Institute, an institute respected internationally for its groundbreaking research into therapies for autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders, is holding a series of free, inclusive events in recognition of the month-long observance. The events also mark the 15-year anniversary of the MIND Institute, founded in 1998.
February 2013
Carmichael receives $100,000 grant to study vascular brain disease, Alzheimer's
February 21, 2013 — Beginning in midlife, heart disease leads to subtle blood-flow problems in the brain that develop insidiously, gradually damaging neurons and contributing to cognitive decline. Knowledge of clinically silent blood-flow problems in the brain has led to the “healthy heart, healthy mind” hypothesis that preventing or treating heart disease also may help prevent age-associated cognitive decline.
Experimental gene therapy treatment for duchenne muscular dystrophy offers hope for youngster
February 7, 2013 — Jacob Rutt is a bright 11-year-old who likes to draw detailed maps in his spare time. But the budding geographer has a hard time with physical skills most children take for granted ― running and climbing trees are beyond him, and even walking can be difficult. He was diagnosed with a form of muscular dystrophy known as Duchenne when he was two years old.
January 2013
Gary Small, New York Times best-selling author, to speak on Alzheimer's disease
January 2, 2013 — New York Times best-selling author Gary Small, professor of psychiatry at UCLA and one of the world's leading physician/scientists in the fields of memory and longevity, will present a special lecture titled "Alzheimer’s Prevention Strategies for Keeping Your Brain Healthy," on Monday, Jan. 7, at 5:30 p.m. in the UC Davis MIND Institute auditorium.
November 2012
International team of investigators discovers likely basis of birth defect causing premature skull closure in infants
November 18, 2012 — An international team of geneticists, pediatricians, surgeons, and epidemiologists from 23 institutions across three continents have identified two areas of the human genome associated with the most common form of non-syndromic craniosynostosis ― premature closure of the bony plates of the skull. [en español] [中文 Chinese]
DeCarli named to first Victor and Genevieve Orsi Endowed Chair in Alzheimer's Disease Research
November 2, 2012 — Charles DeCarli, director of the UC Davis Alzheimer's Disease Center and an internationally renowned expert on behavioral neurology, degenerative dementias and neuroimaging, is the first Victor and Genevieve Orsi Endowed Chair in Alzheimer's Research at UC Davis Health System.
October 2012
High blood pressure damages the brain in early middle age
October 31, 2012 — Uncontrolled high blood pressure damages the brain's structure and function as early as young middle age, and even the brains of middle-aged people who clinically would not be considered to have hypertension have evidence of silent structural brain damage, a study led by researchers at UC Davis has found. [en español] [中文 Chinese]
"What's Good for the Body is Good for the Brain" the topic of Alzheimer's Disease Center symposium
October 29, 2012 — The UC Davis Alzheimer's Disease Center will hold its first annual research symposium and poster session, titled "What's Good for the Body is Good for the Brain," on Thursday, Nov. 1, from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in lecture hall 2222 in the Education Building, 4610 X St., Sacramento, Calif.
Immune activation in pregnant mice affects brains of offspring
October 25, 2012 — A brief kick to the immune system of a pregnant mouse can cause persistent changes in the brains of the offspring, according to new research from the University of California, Davis, Center for Neuroscience.
UC Davis establishes prestigious new NIH-funded research center for aging Latinos
October 2, 2012 — Assembling a nationally respected team of nurse, physician and mental-health leaders with broad expertise in brain health and minority aging, UC Davis has established the Latino Aging Research Resource Center (LARRC), through a prestigious five-year, $3 million grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA). [en español]
September 2012
Protein holds promise for drug therapy for central nervous system diseases
September 27, 2012 — Researchers at UC Davis have identified previously unrecognized properties of a naturally occurring protein, finding that it enhances brain cell growth and survival and helps regenerate the protective covering around nerve cells, making it a "strong candidate" for drug development for people with neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
August 2012
Aguilar-Gaxiola appointed to lead statewide autism task force
August 16, 2012 — Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, director of the UC Davis Center for Reducing Health Disparities, has been appointed by state Senate Pro-Tempore Darrell Steinberg to co-chair a task force to investigate the equitable distribution of autism services to diverse communities in California. [en español]
$17 million grant to fund seizure, neurotoxin research
August 8, 2012 — A new $17 million research center dedicated to identifying medical countermeasures for neurotoxic chemicals that cause seizures in humans has been established by the U.S. National Institutes of Health at the University of California, Davis.
July 2012
UC Davis stem cell researchers awarded $53 million
July 26, 2012 — UC Davis Health System researchers who are working to speed therapies to patients suffering from critical limb ischemia, osteoporosis and Huntington's disease received approval today for three separate research grants from the state's stem cell agency totaling more than $53 million. [en español]
Huntington's disease research fueled by $19 million from stem cell agency
July 26, 2012 — In what scientists and patients advocates say is an exciting development in the area of Huntington's disease (HD) research, California's stem cell agency today approved a grant proposal worth nearly $20 million that is designed to propel researchers at UC Davis Health System toward preparing for the first FDA-approved cellular therapy for HD patients.
Gorin named to chair UC Davis Department of Neurology
July 17, 2012 — Internationally respected neuroscientist Fredric A. Gorin, whose investigations of novel therapies for brain cancer, traumatic brain injury, cerebrovascular disease and stroke have resulted in four U.S. patents, has been appointed chair of the Department of Neurology in the UC Davis School of Medicine. Gorin's appointment became effective July 1.
National neuroscience research project now under way at UC Davis
July 2, 2012 — UC Davis Health System researchers who want to investigate new approaches to treating neurological diseases now have an unprecedented set of tools for making clinical trials more efficient, getting results more rapidly and, ultimately, enabling them to bring innovative and effective treatments to people with debilitating disorders.
June 2012
Internationally renowned neuroscientist joins UC Davis MIND Institute
June 29, 2012 — Jacqueline N. Crawley, one of the world's foremost researchers in behavioral neuroscience and a leading investigator using mouse models to develop novel, targeted treatments for individuals with autism spectrum disorder, joins the faculty of the UC Davis School of Medicine and UC Davis MIND Institute in July as the Robert E. Chason Chair in Translational Research.
