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Top 10 Center for BrainHealth Breakthroughs in 2016

The word 'BRAIN' inscripted in black on a rugged white wall.

Center for BrainHealth

Center for BrainHealth’s vision to empower people of all ages to unlock their brain potential would not be possible without its dedicated scientists and clinicians, as well as generous supporters and collaborating organizations. As we look back at 2016, we remember 10 breakthroughs that advanced brain science and six new faces who shaped our year as we celebrate reaching more than 60,000 people in at least 24 states through our research initiatives and programming at Center for BrainHealth and its Brain Performance Institute.

10 Breakthroughs from 2016:

  1. Center for BrainHealth’s “socialization lab” made national news when it was featured by the Today Show
  2. Dr. Sandra Chapman and her team found brain training may benefit individuals with mild cognitive impairment and bipolar disorder Other research revealed how mental exercise affects your brain differently than physical exercise.
  3. Dr. Bart Rypma and his lab, working in collaboration with colleagues in Sweden, revealed a link between dopamine and an individual’s ability to recognize faces.
  4. Dr. Francesca Filbey and her team found that the starting age of marijuana use may have long-term effects on brain development and long-term marijuana use changes the brain's reward circuit.
  5. Computational psychiatry research from Dr. Xiaosi Gu’s lab demonstrated that the brain's response to nicotine depends on the smoker’s belief about the nicotine content of their cigarette
  6. The 2016 Reprogramming the Brain to Health Symposium honored Professor Karl Friston, FRS, FMedSci, who is considered the father of modern brain mapping.
  7. Research from Dr. Daniel Krawczyk’s lab identified complex brain connectivity patterns in individuals that may explain long-term higher order cognitive function deficits in chronic phases of traumatic brain injury.
  8. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society awarded Dr. Bart Rypma more than $490,000 to study effects of  MS on brain blood flow and cognition.
  9. Dan Branch was honored with the 2016 Legacy Award for his legislative efforts to further higher education in Texas.
  10. Center for BrainHealth joined an eight-university research collaborative to help simplify medical decision-making for patients with rheumatoid arthritis who may face life-changing choices.

We celebrate these brain health strides and look forward to many more in 2017!

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Sandra Bond Chapman, PhD

Chief Director Dee Wyly Distinguished Professor, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences Co-Leader, The BrainHealth Project

Bart Rypma, PhD

Principal Investigator Professor, Behavioral and Brain Sciences at UT Dallas Meadows Foundation Endowed Chair in Behavioral and Brain Sciences Director, Sammons BrainHealth Imaging Center

Francesca Filbey, PhD

Bert Moore Endowed Chair and Professor, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences Director, Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory of Addictive Disorders

Daniel Krawczyk, PhD

Deputy Director of Research Debbie and Jim Francis Chair and Professor, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences

Related Information

Belief and the Brain in Addiction - Q&A With Dr. Xiaosi Gu

We recently sat down with Xiaosi Gu, Ph.D., associate professor at UT Dallas and head of the Computational Psychiatry Unit at the Center for BrainHealth, to discuss her recent research focused on the brain, belief, and addiction.

Reprogramming the Brain to Health Symposium 2016

In its tenth year, the Symposium highlighted neurology and advances made in computational psychiatry, an emerging field that seeks to use neurobiological information to inform individualized therapies.