April 15, 2019

BRAIN and BEHAVIOR INITIATIVE WEEKLY DIGEST

April 15, 2019

Today & Tomorrow! Special BBI Seminars


Please join us this afternoon for a talk by Dr. Gregory Hickok (UC Irvine) entitled "Neuro-architectural homologies for language in the human and non-human primate brain," at 3:30 p.m. in 1103 BRB. 

And please join us tomorrow as well for a talk by Dr. Carel ten Cate (Leiden) entitled "The linguistic abilities of birds - on speech perception and grammar rule learning" on April 16 at 12 noon in 1103 BRB.

News

An approach called transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), allows researchers to improve the synchronization of activity between the frontal cortex and the temporal cortex, which appears to be important for working memory. The study suggests that age-related impairment in one particular form of short-term memory largely reflects a failure of synchronization.
Imaging of neurons in the brains of living mice reveals how synapses between cells are eliminated in response to stress and reinstated by an antidepressant dose of ketamine. The findings show that while ketamine-induced changes in behavior precede synaptogenesis, the increased connectivity is required to maintain the drug-modified behavior.
The bid to simplify one of nature's gnarliest hairballs—our 86-billion-neuron organ of thought—into a set of mathematical equations has been hard for some neuroscientists to get behind. But Danielle Bassett believes that she can capture the brain’s dynamics in a set of equations to optimize learning or even treat diseases.
A recent NIH study finds that our brains may solidify the memories of new skills we just practiced a few seconds earlier by taking a short rest. The results highlight the critically important role rest may play in learning and perhaps even in implementing rehabilitative treatments for patients such as those who have suffered a stroke.
Biomedical engineers have developed an automated process that can trace the shapes of active neurons as accurately as human researchers. The new technique uses AI to interpret video images, and it addresses a critical roadblock in neuron analysis, allowing researchers to rapidly gather and process neuronal signals for real-time behavioral studies.
Since opening in 2011, the Lieber Institute for Brain Development in Baltimore has amassed more than 3,000 post-mortem brains, which they are studying to better understand the biological mechanisms behind neuropsychiatric disorders. It is the largest collection dedicated specifically to mental conditions.

Calendar of Events

Special BBI Seminar
Speaker: Gregory Hickok (UC Irvine)
Title: "Neuro-architectural homologies for language in the human and non-human primate brain"
Date: Monday, April 15, 2019
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location: 1103 Bioscience Research Building
More info

Special BBI Seminar
Speaker: Carel ten Cate (Leiden)
Title: "The linguistic abilities of birds - on speech perception and grammar rule learning"
Date: Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Time: 12 noon
Location: 1103 Bioscience Research Building
More info

NIMH Symposium
Title: "From Neural Activity to Behavior: Computational Modeling of the Nervous System"
Date: Thursday, April 18, 2019 - Friday, April 19, 2019
Location: Building 35A, NIH Porter Neuroscience Research Center
More info

NACS Seminar
Speaker: Margaret Livingstone (Harvard)
Title: "The development of specialized modules for recognizing faces, scenes, text, and bodies: what you see is what you get"
Date: Friday, April 19, 2019
Time: 10:15 a.m.
Location: 1103 Bioscience Research Building
More info

Funding Announcements

Neuropathological Assessment of TBI-related Neurodegeneration and Neurocognitive decline - Center Without Walls (NATBI CWOW) (U54 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (RFA-NS-19-030); National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; National Institute on Aging. Application due: April 15, 2019.

NIH Blueprint Diversity Specialized Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Advancement in Neuroscience (D-SPAN) Award (F99/K00) (RFA-NS-19-011). Application Receipt Date(s): December 13, 2018; April 15, 2019; December 13, 2019; April 15, 2020; December 15, 2020; April 15, 2021, by 5:00 p.m. local time of applicant organization.

DARPA invites applications for the Grounded Artificial Intelligence Language Acquisition (GAILA) Program (DARPA-PA-18-02-06) to fund research in the technical domain of human language technology, cognitive science, and language acquisition. Application due: April 28, 2019.

Wildlife Acoustics invites applications for Bioacoustic Research Projects focused on using bioacoustics for data collection and/or analysis, advancing scientific knowledge, and contributing to long-term conservation efforts. One or more awards of up to $5,000 each may be made. Application due: May 15, 2019.

Predoctoral Training in Advanced Data Analytics for Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (BSSR) - Institutional Research Training Program [T32] (RFA-OD-19-011). Application due: May 25, 2019.

Alcohol and Other Substance Use Research Education Programs for Health Professionals (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (PAR-19-207). Application due: May 25, 2019.

Next Generation Networks for Neuroscience (NeuroNex) (NSF 19-563). Preliminary proposal due: June 14, 2019; Full proposal due: December 13, 2019.

The Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology is an international research prize of $25,000. Since 2002, it has been awarded annually to one young scientist who is not older than 35 years for the most outstanding neurobiological research based on methods of molecular and cell biology. Application due: June 15, 2019.

Limited Competitions for Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study:
Linked Research Project Sites (Collaborative U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (RFA-DA-20-002). Application due: July 24, 2019.
Data Analysis, Informatics and Resource Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (RFA-DA-20-003). Application due: July 24, 2019.
Coordinating Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (RFA-DA-20-004). Application due: July 24, 2019.

The Office of Strategic Coordination invites DP5 applications for NIH Director’s Early Independence Awards (RFA-RM-19-008) to support investigators who wish to pursue independent research essentially after completion of their terminal doctoral/research degree or end of post-graduate clinical training, thereby forgoing the traditional post-doctoral training period and accelerating their entry into an independent research career. Letter of intent due: August 13, 2019; applications due: September 13, 2019.

The American Psychological Foundation invites applications of its David H. And Beverly A. Barlow Grant to fund Research on Anxiety and Anxiety-Related Disorders conducted by a graduate student or early-career researcher. Application due: September 18, 2019.

NIH invites R01 applications for NIH Director’s Transformative Research Awards (RFA-RM-19-007) to fund individual scientists or groups of scientists proposing groundbreaking, exceptionally innovative, original, and/or unconventional research with the potential to create new scientific paradigms, establish entirely new and improved clinical approaches, or develop transformative technologies. Application due September 20, 2019.

The Maryland Catalyst Fund program – formerly known as the Faculty Incentive Program – is the University of Maryland’s internal faculty research support program and a key resource in the university’s overall effort to expand its research activity, visibility and impact. The program aims to enable innovative research, to incentivize the pursuit of large, complex, and high-impact research initiatives, and to increase our competitiveness for extramural research awards.

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April 15, 2019