ICAN Update: Welcoming Our New Directors

ICAN Update: Welcoming Our New Directors

Left to right: Professor Stephan Mahler, Professor Christie Fowler Today, the Irvine Center for Addiction Neuroscience (ICAN) is thrilled to announce significant changes in its leadership. As many may already be aware, Professor Marcelo Wood, who has served as the...

Diego A. Pizzagalli named founding director of UC Irvine depression research institute

Diego A. Pizzagalli named founding director of UC Irvine depression research institute

Diego A. Pizzagalli, Ph.D. – a leading researcher into the causes, manifestation and treatment of mood disorders, particularly major depression – has been named the founding director of a transdisciplinary depression research institute at the University of California, Irvine, following a nationwide search. The institute is supported by a record $55 million estate gift from philanthropist Audrey Steele Burnand.

Human brains, in and out of skulls, promise to unravel Alzheimer’s mysteries

Human brains, in and out of skulls, promise to unravel Alzheimer’s mysteries

Why do some brains remain robust as time marches on, while others wither? What can be done to halt deterioration in its tracks, or even better — reverse it?
That’s the mystery that decades of work at UCI and other federal research centers are dedicated to unraveling. Some of the biggest brains in science are devoted to understanding aging, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Sweet smell of success: Simple fragrance method produces major memory boost

Sweet smell of success: Simple fragrance method produces major memory boost

When a fragrance wafted through the bedrooms of older adults for two hours every night for six months, memories skyrocketed. Participants in this study by University of California, Irvine neuroscientists reaped a 226% increase in cognitive capacity compared to the control group. The researchers say the finding transforms the long-known tie between smell and memory into an easy, non-invasive technique for strengthening memory and potentially deterring dementia.

Light Exercise Can Enhance Memory Function

Light Exercise Can Enhance Memory Function

Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the research team assessed the effect of just 10 minutes of mild exercise on hippocampal memory function.