The Brain Institute is dedicated to improving treatments for neurological diseases, neuropsychiatric disorders, and central nervous system injuries. Our mission is to accelerate brain research by: 1) developing and sustaining collaborations between neuroscientists, engineers, physicians and community partners; 2) translating research findings into innovative treatments; and 3) staying abreast of the latest neuroscience research and funding opportunities via dynamic educational forums.
The Brain Institute's three-pronged approach to advancing rigorous interdisciplinary research--Collaborate, Innovate, Educate--is described below.
Collaborate
The Brain Institute was established by university leaders in 2005 to accelerate brain research by bringing together faculty members with complementary expertise to tackle big problems together. The Brain Institute now has 140 faculty members from 35 academic departments and four Utah universities. An energetic and committed core staff fosters collaboration between these faculty members by helping to build interdisciplinary research teams in focus areas including: autism; Alzheimer's disease; epilepsy; mood disorders; multiple sclerosis; spinal cord injury; substance abuse and addiction; suicide; and traumatic brain injury. These interdisciplinary research teams also include invested industry and community partners, so that each team incorporates a 360-degree perspective.
The Brain Institute core staff facilitates collaboration within each interdisciplinary research team by: 1) assisting with grant preparation and administration; 2) building and maintaining private, online collaborative workspaces where colleagues can work together from any location at any time; 3) building and maintaining public, team-specific Web pages to consolidate and publicize team information and achievements; 4) coordinating internal meetings, large symposia, and outreach events; and 5) advocating for institutional changes that reward collaborative research.
The Brain Institute provides the infrastructure necessary for trans-departmental collaboration to flourish. Together, members and friends of the Brain Institute will discover, develop, and deliver new treatments for brain disorders.
Innovate
The Brain Institute supports scientists in translating research discoveries into real-world treatments. For example, the Brain Institute has partnered with USTAR (the Utah Science Technology and Research initiative) since 2006 to establish a brain imaging community with the complementary expertise and state-of-the-art instrumentation to make Utah a world leader in imaging technologies. The university’s and USTAR’s significant investments in imaging include 13 faculty hires since 2006; a 3T MRI scanner; a 7T small animal scanner; and a microPET/SPECT/CT preclinical scanner. Brain Institute investigators are now employing these resources to improve diagnoses and treatments for mood disorders and substance abuse.
Brain imaging is a stronghold for Brain Institute innovation. Another stronghold is the exciting field of neural interfaces. The Brain Institute has partnered with the department of bioengineering to develop neural devices that are specific, responsive, and customizable to treat devastating diseases and injuries of the central nervous system. The technologies developed by the neural interfaces team will not only revolutionize care for individuals stricken with epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and other neurological disorders, but will also pave the way for computer-human interfaces that will fundamentally change the technological and philosophical landscapes of the future.
The Brain Institute focuses its resources on innovative techniques and technologies that will transform brain-related health care.
Educate
The Brain Institute believes that education is the cornerstone of collaboration and innovation. The Brain Institute develops dynamic educational forums customized for each of the following audiences: Brain Institute faculty members; neuroscience postdoctoral fellows and graduate students; and the lay community.
To provide opportunities for Brain Institute faculty members to interact with national thought leaders in their fields, the Brain Institute sponsors scientific symposia with invited speakers. To foster the professional development of neuroscience trainees, the Brain Institute partners with the Interdepartmental Program in Neuroscience and with the Society for Neuroscience Intermountain Chapter to offer students opportunities to customize avant-garde translational research tracks that incorporate clinical exposure; to present and receive feedback on their research; and to explore career options in the neurosciences. The general community is hungry for reliable and current information on brain disorders; therefore, the Brain Institute sponsors public lectures and an annual Brain Awareness Week designed to engage elementary and high school students, and the public, in neuroscience. The Brain Institute also partners with advocacy organizations like AARP Utah and the Utah Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to get the latest research findings into the hands of people coping with brain disorders. Visit our multimedia gallery to view past lectures, and join our email list to receive notifications of future events.
The Brain Institute listens to the needs of faculty, students, and the community, and develops educational programs to advance our mission.
