Neuroscience | Penn Today

Three adults rhesus macaques and two infants macaques sitting on a rock in a forest located on the island of Cayo Santiago.

Social connections influence brain structure of rhesus macaques

Researchers from Penn, Inserm, and elsewhere observed that the number of grooming partners an individual animal had predicted the size of brain areas associated with social decision-making and empathy.

An elderly person, seated, holds hands with a caregiver standing over them.

Questioning what we know about dementia

Penn researchers are looking into moments of sudden, clear communication in someone with progressive neurodegenerative disease for a deeper understanding of both brain science and philosophy.

Scans reveal the brain’s early growth, late decline and surprising variability

Research co-led by Aaron Alexander-Bloch and postdoc Jakob Seidlitz of the Perelman School of Medicine charted the human brain’s development over a lifetime to better understand disorders like schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Five Penn students are 2022 Goldwater Scholars

Five juniors have received 2022 Goldwater Scholarships to pursue research careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering. Penn's newest Goldwater Scholars are Joshua Chen, Allison Chou, Shriya Karam, Laila Barakat Norford, and Andrew Sontag.

Side-by-side portraits of two smiling women

35th annual Women of Color at Penn award

The Women of Color at Penn held their 35th annual award ceremony with a virtual celebration hosted by the African American Resource Center. This year’s awards honored six women who have fostered and supported community.

Just one beer or glass of wine a day may cause your brain to shrink, study suggests

Henry Kranzler of the Perelman School of Medicine co-authored research that found daily alcohol consumption, even in moderate quantities, can lead to a loss of brain volume. "For pretty much any level of drinking, a reduction is likely to yield health benefits," he said.

A scale with an alcoholic beverage on one side and a brain on the other

One drink a day linked with reduced brain size

The Penn-led research, using a dataset of more than 36,000 adults, revealed that going from one to two drinks a day was associated with changes in the brain equivalent to aging two years. Heavier drinking was linked with an even greater toll.

‘Light-to-moderate’ drinking may carry risks to the brain, new study says

Henry Kranzler of the Perelman School of Medicine and Gideon Nave of the Wharton School spoke about their research on alcohol’s effects on the brain. “Although the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recommends that women consume an average of no more than one drink per day, recommended limits for men are twice that, an amount that exceeds the consumption level associated in the study with decreased brain volume,” he said.

Silhouette of a person sitting against a wall on the side of the image, legs pulled up close to her chest.

Why are alcohol- and drug-related deaths rising in the U.S. and not elsewhere?

With insights from anthropology and neuroscience, Penn researchers Michael Platt and Peter Sterling find that, in comparison, 16 other wealthy nations offer communal assistance at every life stage, support that protects individuals and families long term.

a black and white landscape of rocky mountains

Understanding optimal resource allocation in the brain

A collaboration between experimentalists and theorists shows how the brain processes information about textures, paving the way for better understanding of sensory perception efficiency.

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