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A new theory for what’s happening in the brain when something looks familiar
A black-and-white illustration with many lines and circles and a person sitting in the middle.

How can the brain distinguish between something new and something familiar? Research from the Visual Memory Lab led by Nicole Rust has a new theory, replacing one long-held by the field. (Image: Julia Kuhl)

A new theory for what’s happening in the brain when something looks familiar

This novel concept from the lab of neuroscientist Nicole Rust brings the field one step closer to understanding how memory functions. Long-term, it could have implications for treating memory-impairing diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Michele W. Berger

The immune link between a leaky blood-brain barrier and schizophrenia
A microscopic image of a neuron labeled in fluorescent colorful markers

A genetic condition known as 22q.11.2 deletion syndrome is associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia. A Penn Vet-led team found that a leaky blood-brain barrier, allowing inappropriate immune involvement in the central nervous system, may contribute to this or perhaps other neuropsychiatric conditions. (Image: Courtesy of Jorge Iván Alvarez)

The immune link between a leaky blood-brain barrier and schizophrenia

Research from the School of Veterinary Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia points to the involvement of the immune system the brain as a contributor to mental disorders such as schizophrenia.

Katherine Unger Baillie

The immune link between a leaky blood-brain barrier and schizophrenia

The immune link between a leaky blood-brain barrier and schizophrenia

For people with schizophrenia and other mental disorders, a more permissive blood-brain barrier appears to allow the immune system to get improperly involved in the central nervous system. The inflammation that arises likely contributes to the clinical manifestations of neuropsychiatric conditions, according to new findings from a team led by researchers from the School of Veterinary Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). “Our hypothesis was that, if the immune function of the blood-brain barrier is compromised, the resulting inflammation will have an impact on the central nervous system,” says Jorge Iván Alvarez, an assistant professor at Penn Vet and senior author on the work, published in the journal Brain. 

Neuralink’s monkey can play Pong with its mind. Imagine what humans could do with the same technology

Neuralink’s monkey can play Pong with its mind. Imagine what humans could do with the same technology

Anna Wexler of the Perelman School of Medicine expressed skepticism about Neuralink, a company developing brain-machine interfaces. “Neuroscience is far from understanding how the mind works, much less having the ability to decode it,” she said.

How do natural disasters shape the behavior and social networks of rhesus macaques?
A pair of tannish colored monkeys. One is laying on the ground covered with leaves and rocks and sticks. The other is grooming the one laying down.

A team of researchers led by Penn neuroscientist Michael Platt had been studying a colony of rhesus macaques on Cayo Santiago, a small Puerto Rican island, for a decade when Hurricane Maria hit. The island had been devastated. A massive effort by the team on the ground allowed the work to get back up and running, putting the researchers in a unique position to study how the monkeys’ behavior may have changed in response to an acute natural disaster. (Image: Lauren Brent)

How do natural disasters shape the behavior and social networks of rhesus macaques?

A team of researchers from Penn, the University of Exeter, and elsewhere found that after Hurricane Maria monkeys on the devastated island of Cayo Santiago formed more friendships and became more tolerant of each other, despite fewer resources.

Michele W. Berger

The path to deeper connections, even amidst a pandemic
Headshots of two people. On the left is a person with glasses wearing a blazer, white shirt and blue tie. On the right is a person in a black blazer, black-and-white blouse and visible necklace. Both are smiling.

Edward Brodkin is co-director of the Autism Spectrum Program of Excellence, director of the Adult Autism Spectrum Program, and an associate professor of psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine. Penn alumna Ashley Pallathra is a clinical researcher and therapist pursuing her Ph.D. at The Catholic University of America. They co-wrote “Missing Each Other.” (Images: Christopher Descano)

The path to deeper connections, even amidst a pandemic

A new book from Penn’s Edward Brodkin and psychology doctoral candidate Ashley Pallathra focuses on the science and practice of attunement, the process by which people can most effectively connect to themselves and others.

Michele W. Berger

Study finds an increased risk of dementia from decades-old head injuries
Gloved hand holding a scan of four brains

Study finds an increased risk of dementia from decades-old head injuries

New Penn Medicine research reveals stronger associations between head injuries and dementia among women compared to men, and among white participants as compared to Black participants.

From Penn Medicine News