Using a new ‘chemogenetic’ technique invented by Bryan Roth’s lab at UNC, scientists turn neurons ‘on’ and ‘off’ to demonstrate how brain circuits control behavior in mice. This unique tool – the first to result from the NIH BRAIN Initiative – will help scientists understand how to modulate neurons to more effectively treat diseases.

Spencer Smith, PhD, assistant professor of cell biology and physiology and member of the UNC Neuroscience Center, was featured on North Carolina Now, a nightly program on UNC TV.

Tom Kash, PhD, led a study, published in Nature Neuroscience, that identifies both where in the brain and how Neuropeptide Y, a protein in the brain, can act to suppress binge alcohol drinking.

For the first time, Garret Stuber, PhD, imaged activity patterns of individual brain cells in freely moving mice to link specific basic behaviors to particular neurons.

The UNC School of Medicine has awarded the 15th Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize to David W. Tank, PhD, for the “discovery of fundamental mechanisms of neural computation.”

Bryan Roth, MD, PhD, and his DREADDs technology was named one of the top 10 mental health stories of note by Tom Insel, MD, director of the National Institute of Mental Health.

In a Developmental Cell paper, Anton lab shows that APC-regulated microtubule severing is necessary for appropriate patterns of neuronal migration and placement in the developing brain.

Ben Philpot, PhD, and Mark Zylka, PhD, discovered a biochemical mechanism that could cause “chemo brain”, the neurological side effects of chemotherapy.

The 15th Annual UNC Neuroscience Symposium was held on October 23, 2014 at the Carolina Club. It featured talks from Drs. Gina Turrigiano, Anatol Kreitzer, and David Van Essen.

Edvard and May-Britt Moser, 2012 Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize recipients were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology.