Browse wide-ranging research at the frontiers of neuroscience supported by Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute grants, awards, and training fellowships.
Projects
Extracochlear neurostimulation - Auricle
Sensorineural hearing loss is an increasingly prevalent condition that causes disability to over a third of US adults aged over 65. We are developing a breakthrough device to restore high-frequency hearing that preserves residual hearing through a reversible and minimally invasive approach.
A minimally-invasive intracranial pressure microsensor (mICP) for long-term, continuous ambulatory monitoring
Topical Hedgehog modulators to enhance motor nerve regeneration after injury and repair
Development and validation of selective novel small molecule therapeutics for Parkinson's Disease
Extended Reality(XR) enhanced behavioral activation for treatment of Major Depressive Disorder
This team has created an extended reality–enhanced implementation of "behavioral activation," one of the most effective forms of evidence-based psychotherapy for major depression. They will use the Neuroscience:Translate award to test the efficacy and scalability of this approach and accelerate the development of extended reality technologies to improve treatment options for major depression.
Autism digital therapy with embedded endpoints and artificial intelligence for progress tracking and adaptive care - Renewal
Development of an extracochlear neurostimulation device to restore hearing – Renewal
Sensorineural hearing loss is an increasingly prevalent condition that causes disability to over a third of US adults aged over 65. This team is developing a breakthrough device to restore high-frequency hearing that preserves residual hearing through a reversible and minimally invasive approach.
Remote reliable measurements of movement using bluetooth enabled engineered keyboard for diagnosis of neurological diseases - Renewal
This team is developing a device that will enable accurate diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease via telemedicine. They initially introduced the technology of Quantitative DigitoGraphy (QDG) using a repetitive alternating finger tapping (RAFT) task on a musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) keyboard and will use Neuroscience: Translate funding for the next stage of device development.
Predicting and promoting resilient brain aging trajectories
Using new animal models such as the African killifish, this team aims to develop approaches to predict individual brain aging trajectories early in life based on behaviors that can be modulated to promote healthy memory, executive function and processing speed as well as counter dementia.
Resilience to Synaptic Impairments in Neurodegenerative Disorders
This team will explore the idea that neurotoxic protein aggregates seen in neurodegenerative disorders act at the synaptic connections between cells, and that resilience against these disorders may come from natural synapse-supporting factors that could be transformed into new forms of therapy.
Preserving motor engrams in Parkinson's disease: Neural circuit and transcriptomic studies and strategies for resilient motor control
This team aims to better understand how Parkinson's disease attacks the brain's basic motor programs and to spawn novel therapies against the disease using gene-editing technology.
Mitochondrial DNA and Brain Resilience
This team proposes the first comprehensive study of how mitochondrial DNA is related to cognitive function and susceptibility to dementia in a diverse population of over 11,000 adults. The outcomes of this study will provide insight into possible racial disparities in brain health.
Sleep circuits in neurodegenerative disease and aging
This team plans to study whether changes in neurons in the midbrain that regulate sleep, wakefulness, and immunity could contribute to aging and neurodegeneration. If successful, this information could rescue deficits in sleep and restore a normal immune profile.
Defining the Subcellular Biology of Brain Aging and Neurodegeneration
This team plans to map how age-related dysfunction of cellular waste disposal in lysosomes could lead to neurodegenerative diseases, potentially laying the foundation for a map of organelle function in the brain.
Unlocking brain resilience with HDAC inhibition
This team aims to define a network of genes that contribute to stress resistance in neurons and identify how it could be activated to enhance brain resilience and protect against neurodegenerative disease.
Endocannabinoid metabolism as a driver of brain aging
This team aims to discover whether the brain’s endocannabinoid system is dysregulated during aging, triggering inflammation via molecules called prostaglandins. If so, a drug that decouples these systems might restore a youthful brain state and rescue cognitive function.
Characterizing the Genetic Architecture of Neuropathology with Machine Learning
This team will study the brains of individuals who lived past ninety with their cognitive function intact, using advanced tissue imaging and computer science to understand mechanisms of resilience that could slow neurodegeneration and preserve brain health.