Step by step, developing tools for fighting Alzheimer’s disease
Carl Cotman, director of the UCI Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia, is a leading expert on Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. He was one of the first to make a connection between vitamin E and Alzheimer’s, and is now looking at how cells change in the brain to cause Alzheimer’s. Contact Carl Cotman at 949-824-5847, cwcotman@uci.edu

Drugs and stress hormones impair and enhance memory
James L. McGaugh directs the UCI Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory and examines the ways in which drugs and stress hormones improve and impair memory. The professor of neurobiology and behavior has conducted research into memory and the brain for four decades. Current work focuses on the interaction between various regions of the brain in storing memories and methods to block the physical effects of post-traumatic stress disorder. Contact James McGaugh at 949-824-5401, jlmcgaug@uci.edu

Emotions kindle memories
Larry Cahill, assistant professor of neurobiology and behavior, focuses on the mechanisms that make the brain remember emotional events. A member of UCI’s Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, he also is interested in the prevention and treatment of memory disorders tied to emotional events, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. Contact Larry Cahill at 949-824-1937, lfcahill@uci.edu

Music is fundamental to human thought
Norman M. Weinberger, professor of neurobiology and behavior and cognitive sciences, focuses on the ways the “listening” part of the brain gets and stores information during learning-so it makes sense that he also loves music. He directs an international database called MUSICA-Music and Science Information Computer Archive-which compiles current research on understanding human behavior and the brain through music, and also produces a triannual newsletter on the topic. Contact Norman Weinberger at 949-824-5512, nmweinbe@uci.edu

What makes nerve cells grow?
Christine Gall, professor and vice chair of the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the UCI College of Medicine, is looking into the growth of nerve cell connections (called “synapses”) and what natural elements encourage the growth and survival of nerve cells. Knowing what stops and starts nerve cell development could help researchers find new ways to restore function to injured nerve cells. Gall was one of the first researchers to demonstrate that physiological activity can stimulate the production of “growth factors,” which are chemicals that encourage development in cells. She is now studying the way these factors work in healthy brains and during aging. Contact Christine Gall at 949-824-8652, 949-824-4251, cmgall@uci.edu

How marijuana-like chemicals work in the brain
Daniele Piomelli, associate professor of anatomy and neurobiology at the UCI College of Medicine, recently uncovered a network of marijuana-like chemicals in the brain called “anandamides” that regulate motor activity. Now he’s examining how the anandamide network curbs pain and how dysfunction in the network may lead to schizophrenia and other disorders. Contact Daniele Piomelli at 949-824-6180, 949-824-7080, piomelli@uci.edu

New treatments for childhood epilepsy
Dr. Tallie Z. Baram, professor of neurology, pediatrics and neurobiology at the UCI College of Medicine, is exploring how childhood seizures, including those caused by epilepsy, differ from those of adults. Baram is working on new drugs that may help calm childhood seizures without the side effects of drugs designed for adults. She also works with children through the Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Program, a treatment facility at UCI Medical Center in Orange. Contact Tallie Z. Baram at 949-824-1131, 714-456-6203, tallie@uci.edu

Seeking a better understanding of autism
Dr. Pauline Filipek, professor of pediatrics at the UCI College of Medicine, is an expert on autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and other behavioral diseases in children. In 1998, Filipek and fellow pediatrics professor Anne Spence were awarded $5.8 million from the National Institutes of Health for a five-year study on genetic and biological bases of autism. Filipek also has used brain-imaging techniques to explore how structures in the brain may be different in autistic people. Contact Pauline Filipek at 714-939-6118, filipek@uci.edu

Researcher traces nervous system disease by mapping the brain
James Fallon, professor of anatomy and neurobiology at the UCI College of Medicine, creates maps that show how nerve cells wind their way through the human brain. These maps reveal connections that are created during development and show how various nervous system diseases damage these connections. Fallon also is working on brain-imaging techniques that show new nerve connections, and he’s studying embryonic “stem” cells to see how nerve cells can regenerate after injury. Contact James Fallon at 949-824-4559, 949-824-6481, 949-824-8273, jfallon@uci.edu

Exploring how acupuncture works against disease
Zang-Hee Cho, professor of radiology at the UCI College of Medicine, started conducting research in acupuncture after the technique successfully treated his injured back. He’s published several landmark studies that show how acupuncture results in nerve cell stimulation inside the brain, and is looking for other ways to provide insight into the 3,000-year-old mystery of how acupuncture works. Contact Zang-Hee Cho at 949-824-5905, zcho@uci.edu