WashU researchers are studying how the brain perceives, processes, and remembers everyday events.
The main events: How scenes from life shape consciousness, build memories
Category: Arts & Sciences
Board grants faculty tenure
At the Washington University in St. Louis Board of Trustees meeting Sept. 27, numerous faculty members were granted tenure, effective that day. Granting of tenure Kirsten Gilbert Alberts, PhD as an associate professor of psychiatry at WashU Medicine; Robert A. Campbell, PhD as an associate professor of emergency medicine at WashU Medicine; Carmen M. Halabi, MD, PhD as […]
Graduate students recognized for research excellence
Faculty and university leadership selected Wesley Wagner, a graduate student in chemistry, as the winner of the 2024 Dean’s Award for Graduate Research Excellence. Six additional graduate students were also recognized.
WashU researchers use genetics to find psychopathology risks
When trying to understand how genetic influences factor into youth behavior, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have taken the “big trawl” approach, casting their net wide to pull in all the measured traits, behaviors and environments that make up who we are and examine associations with the genetic building blocks comprising risk for […]
Potential of mindfulness to enhance cognitive health in Latinx older adults being studied
Mindfulness-based approaches are mental health practices intended to ground people, help them focus attention, and teach them how to think through overwhelming emotions and problems, but that is just the start. The more people are taught ways to better handle stress, the better protected they may be from the physiological problems that stress produces, including […]
Friedman Center grant to study experiences of ageism
The Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging at WashU has received an 18-month $136,000 grant from the RRF Foundation for Aging to study how older adults understand and experience ageism. Ageism is “prevalent, invisible and hurts older people and communities,” said Nancy Morrow-Howell, PhD, the Bettie Bofinger Brown Distinguished Professor of Social Policy at the Brown […]
WashU research funding exceeds $1 billion for first time
For the first time, annual research funding to Washington University in St. Louis has surpassed $1 billion. External funding supports WashU investigators tackling big challenges from Alzheimer’s disease to air pollution to childhood depression. Research funding also ripples across the economy, sparking job growth, new construction and local spending, said Chancellor Andrew D. Martin. “There […]
Franken and Wessel win NIH grant to study how artificial and biological brains process video imagery
The new project stemmed from an unexpected discovery made when researchers trained an artificial neural network to study car dashcam footage.
St. Louis wants to turbocharge its neuroscience sector with the NEURO360 program
St. Louis is vying for a $160 million grant that leaders and academics hope will turbocharge the neuroscience sector and rectify entrenched health disparities throughout the region. The effort is part of an application to be one of the next National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovation Engines. The idea is to help assets in higher education, nonprofits, […]
New NSF grant to fund faculty equity programs and new center focused on civic mindfulness
When you think of mindfulness, a personal practice of deep breathing, meditation or pausing for reflection might come to mind. Expanding its use beyond the individual benefit to the collective to achieve systemic change and organizational equity is the focus of a prestigious National Science Foundation grant recently awarded to Washington University in St. Louis. […]
Here and Next Awards Spring 2024
The Research Development Office in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research is pleased to announce the final awardees from FY 2024 of the Here and Next Seed Grant Program. The program’s broad goal is to encourage novel, innovative interdisciplinary research excellence amongst Washington University researchers on both the Med School and Danforth Campuses. […]
Universitywide effort aims to bring WashU to the world
As a new academic year begins, Washington University in St. Louis is unveiling a new visual identity and an enhanced effort to communicate its important contributions in the areas of education, research and patient care to key internal and external audiences. The update includes a new university logo and website and the official adoption of […]
Humans change their own behavior when training AI
A new cross-disciplinary study by Washington University in St. Louis researchers has uncovered an unexpected psychological phenomenon at the intersection of human behavior and artificial intelligence (AI): When told they were training AI to play a bargaining game, participants actively adjusted their own behavior to appear more fair and just, an impulse with potentially important […]
Daily rhythms depend on receptor density in biological clock
In humans and other animals, signals from a central circadian clock in the brain generate the seasonal and daily rhythms of life. They help the body to prepare for expected changes in the environment and also optimize when to sleep, eat and do other daily activities. Scientists at Washington University in St. Louis are working […]
McBride leads Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity
Dwight A. McBride, PhD, the Gerald Early Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences and a senior advisor to the chancellor, is now executive director of the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity (CRE2), Washington University in St. Louis announced. His appointment took effect July 1. McBride, a nationally recognized scholar of race and literary […]
High stress during pregnancy linked to elevated cortisol in toddlers’ hair, study finds
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and Dartmouth College have discovered a connection between toddler hair cortisol levels — a long-term stress biomarker — and maternal prenatal depression. The findings, published in the American Journal of Human Biology, suggest that a child’s long-term stress physiology — or how the body responds to stress — may […]
Researchers find biological clues to mental health impacts of prenatal cannabis exposure
Scientists are trying to understand how cannabis may affect long-term neurodevelopment when people were exposed to it in the womb. Previous work by Washington University in St. Louis researchers Sarah Paul and David Baranger in the Behavioral Research and Imaging Neurogenetics (BRAIN) lab led by Ryan Bogdan, PhD, found associations between prenatal cannabis exposure and potential mental health conditions in childhood […]
‘You think, so you can dance’
On the first day of class, Elinor Harrison, AB ’01, PhD ’18, asks her students to think about the primary purpose of the brain. “Cognition? Perception? Motor learning? Emotion? “Of course, that’s a trick question,” she says. “There’s no real way to separate these phenomena. They are all integral to the human experience.” Harrison is […]
Obituary: Stan H. Braude, professor of practice in Arts & Sciences, 62
Stan Braude, a professor of practice in biology and in environmental studies in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, died at home Saturday, June 1, 2024, after a short illness. He was 62. Braude earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in biology at the University of Michigan, spending summers at the […]
Drake appointed inaugural St. Louis Confluence Collaborative faculty director
Bettina Drake, PhD, professor of surgery in public health sciences at the School of Medicine, will be the inaugural faculty director of the St. Louis Confluence Collaborative for Community-Engaged Research, Teaching and Practice, Washington University in St. Louis Provost Beverly Wendland announced May 31. The new role takes effect July 1. The collaborative, identified as […]
NeuroAI Symposium explores the intersections between digital and biological brains
What happens when biological and artificial intelligence meet? Since its launch in 2022 as a multiyear project funded by the Incubator for Transdisciplinary Futures, Toward a Synergy Between Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience has explored the intersections between the human brain and the novel AI networks that seek to emulate its functions. On May 15, that work culminated in […]
Chemo for glioblastoma enhanced by tapping into cell’s daily rhythms
Glioblastoma is an aggressive brain cancer that has no cure. A recent chart study of patients with glioblastoma found that taking chemotherapy in the morning was associated with a three- to six-month increase in median survival. Now a study from Washington University in St. Louis reports that glioblastoma cells have built-in circadian rhythms that create better […]
Congratulations to the 2024 W. M. Keck Postdoctoral Fellowship Awardees
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs is pleased to announce the awardees of the 2024 W. M. Keck Postdoctoral Fellowship: The W. M. Keck Postdoctoral Fellowship provides one year of funding to Washington University postdocs within their first two years of postdoctoral training in biomedical sciences and molecular medicine. The Fellowship recognizes outstanding scientists in the early […]
Saraswathy, Choi and Xu receive 2024 Hope Center Awards
Each year, the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders recognizes trainees (students and postdocs) who present their work at the Hope Center Retreat. Hope Center award winners are selected based on scientific merit, presentation, and projects that address the Hope Center mission. Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Hope Center Awards! Winner from the talks: Vishnu Muraleedharan Saraswathy, […]
Grad students Spatz and Wang receive Jakschik Award
On behalf of the Jakschik Decision Committee and the Roy and Diana Vagelos Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, we are excited to announce that the 2024 Jakschik Award has been given to two students within DBBS this year! Congratulations to Lily Spatz & Ciyang Wang! The Barbara Jakschik Award was established in honor of Dr. […]
WashU Neuroprep Program welcomes its newest cohort
The Washington University R25-supported Neuroprep Program, a two-year Post-Bacc program readying recent college grads for graduate training in Neuroscience, will enter its second year this summer. The inaugural five students are now pursuing their individual research projects in different laboratories across the university. Incoming trainees will arrive in August, 2024. Current trainees (2023-2025) Incoming trainees (2024-2026)
Pan wins 2024 Spector Prize
Each year, the Department of Biology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis awards a prize to a graduating senior in memory of Marion Smith Spector, a 1938 graduate who studied zoology under the late Viktor Hamburger. The Spector Prize, first awarded in 1974, recognizes academic excellence and outstanding undergraduate achievement in […]
Faculty named to American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Four Washington University in St. Louis faculty are among 250 newly elected members of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, one of the nation’s most prestigious honorary societies. They are John P. Atkinson, MD, Pauline Kim, Adia Harvey Wingfield, PhD and Jeffrey Zacks, PhD. Founded in 1780, the academy honors exceptional scholars, leaders, artists and innovators and engages them […]
Unlocking the secrets of the human brain
Researchers in The Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences are using cutting-edge techniques to help us weather the challenges of everyday life. Human behaviors and emotions can be as complex as any force of nature. From our biggest life choices to the subtle thoughts we barely notice, our minds are always at work. Inspired by […]
Leath to receive early career award
Seanna Leath, PhD, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has been selected to receive the Society for Research on Adolescence’s Early Career Award. The award is given for outstanding contributions to the study of adolescent development. Leath studies identity development and well-being processes among […]
Nine WashU faculty elected to AAAS
Nine faculty members at Washington University in St. Louis are among the 502 new fellows selected by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the most distinct honors in the scientific community. The 2023 class includes: Deanna Barch, Laura Bierut, Kendall Blumer, Andreas Burkhalter, Jennifer Heemstra, Kathleen McDermott, Jeffrey Miner, Camillo Padoa-Schioppa and David Perlmutter. It is also the 150th year […]
Board grants faculty promotions, tenure
At the Washington University in St. Louis Board of Trustees meeting March 1, numerous faculty members were appointed with tenure, promoted with tenure or granted tenure. Their new roles and titles take effect July 1, unless otherwise indicated. Appointment with tenure Steven Miles as a professor of history in Arts & Sciences. Granting of tenure Paul […]
Award of up to $31 million supports development of osteoarthritis treatment
Osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease, limits the mobility of 32 million people nationwide, many to the point of significant disability. Affected individuals face limited options, as there are no drugs to cure or substantially lessen the disease, and invasive joint replacement is often the only option when it reaches its later stages. With the goal […]
WashU Expert: Happiness may protect against dementia
Higher levels of well-being have been robustly associated with a lower risk for future dementia, researchers have found. Happiness is potentially protective against cognitive decline. Emily Willroth, PhD, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis further elaborates in chapter four of this year’s World Happiness […]
Five factors to ensure an infant thrives
There are basic resources every baby needs for the best possible chance to develop as a healthy well-functioning human. Start with good nutrition, breast milk if possible. That baby is going to need stimulation, lots of looking, reciprocal interactions, exposure to language and interesting stimuli. If at all possible, you should live in a place […]
Pandemic made its mark on personality traits
Major life changes can affect personality, and the COVID-19 pandemic was the rare big life event that all humans shared together. “This was a really unique opportunity to see how a life event that’s happening at the global stage to the entire population at the same time is changing personality,” said Emily Willroth, PhD, an […]
Brain Bee gives St. Louis students a chance to explore neuroscience
More than 60 high school students representing 32 schools conducted experiments, explored careers in neuroscience and tested their knowledge of the human brain and the nervous system at the 14th annual St. Louis Area Brain Bee March 2 at Washington University in St. Louis. “Neuroscience isn’t part of the standard high school curriculum, but every year we […]
Why do we blame the victim?
In an age of GoFundMe campaigns, it’s easier than ever to help family, friends, and even strangers in times of need. It’s also easy to look the other way. “Most people see themselves as cooperative and generous, but there’s a cost to helping people who can’t reciprocate,” said Pascal Boyer, PhD, the Henry Luce Professor of […]
Preschoolers with depression at greater risk of suicide during adolescence
Preschoolers with clinical depression are more likely than their peers to have attempted suicide or to have had thoughts of killing themselves by age 12, according to a new study from researchers at Washington University in St. Louis. The findings, published recently in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, suggest […]
Two WashU faculty awarded Sloan Research Fellowships
Two Washington University in St. Louis faculty members have been awarded prestigious early-career fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Zachariah Reagh, PhD, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences, and Gaia Tavoni, PhD, an assistant professor of neuroscience at the School of Medicine, were among 126 scientists selected for […]
Willroth receives SAGE award
Emily Willroth, PhD, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has received the SAGE Early Career Trajectory Award from the Society for Social and Personality Psychology. The award recognizes outstanding achievements by early-career scholars in social and personality psychology, including contributions to teaching, research or service […]
Three faculty recognized by psychological association
Calvin Lai, PhD and Renee Thompson, PhD, both associate professors of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, were among the 2024 fellows named to the Association for Psychological Science (APS). Researchers qualify for fellow status for “exceptional contributions to the field through the development of research opportunities […]
Peace of mind: The science and philosophy of mental health
Interview with Faculty Fellow Anya Plutynski, PhD
WashU faculty named to psychologist society
Two Washington University in St. Louis faculty members have been named fellows of the Society of Experimental Psychologists (SEP). Julie Bugg, PhD and Leonard Green, PhD, both professors of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences, were among the eight fellows named by the SEP this year. This brings the total number of Washington […]
Zacks named president of brain sciences organization
Jeff Zacks, PhD, the Edgar James Swift Professor in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has begun a two-year term as president of the Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences (FABBS). Zacks is also chair of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences and a professor of radiology at […]
Looking for love? Try finding purpose as well
The world of online dating can be overwhelming with the dizzying array of options for attracting a partner, but new research from Washington University in St. Louis shows that those looking for love may have more success if they also seek a sense of purpose in life. Researcher Isabella D’Ottone, in the lab of Patrick […]
A surprising ingredient for improved visual focus? Distraction.
Trying to find a needle in a haystack? A new study by researchers in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences suggests a little distraction could be a good thing. Whether we’re looking for our favorite cereal at the grocery store or searching for our car in the parking lot, most people know the challenge […]
Washington University and Deerfield Management launch VeritaScience to drive drug discovery
Washington University in St. Louis and Deerfield Management, a health-care investment firm, today announced the launch of VeritaScience, a new private R&D collaboration designed to advance the discovery, clinical development and commercialization of promising therapeutic and diagnostic candidates with potential to benefit human health. To support projects that originate from the collaboration, Deerfield has committed up to […]
Why do we sleep? Researchers propose an answer to this age-old question
Sleep is a fundamental need, just like food or water. “You’ll die without it,” said Keith Hengen, PhD, an assistant professor of biology at Washington University in St. Louis. But what does sleep actually accomplish? For years, the best researchers could say is that sleep reduces sleepiness — hardly a satisfying explanation for a basic requirement […]
Mental maps offer peek inside everyday decision-making
A team of psychological and brain sciences researchers has come up with a new way to study the brain’s ability to navigate life — no brain scans required. Researchers in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences have developed a question-and-answer experiment to study how people build cognitive maps, mental models of the world that […]