Have you ever had that sinking feeling that you might have forgotten to turn off the stove? Or felt anxious about an upcoming event or had bad dreams after a particularly stressful day? You aren't alone. Our brains, which create our thoughts, memories and feelings, define who we are. How the collection of cells in our brain, called neurons, performs higher-order tasks is one of the most interesting and complex problems in science.
Despite its importance, we are only beginning to address many open questions about the brain: What components of the brain are responsible for memory, decision-making, perceiving and understanding our environment, and other experiences we consider critical to a life well-lived? How do the various cells and parts of the brain work together, and how does the brain change as the body develops and ages? How does this impact our behaviors, emotions and our risk of disease? And why do we even have these components in the first place? These and myriad other questions fall under the umbrella of neuroscience, a rapidly expanding interdisciplinary field focused on the brain and the rest of the nervous system.
"Neuroscience as we know it is a baby science; it's quite new," said Nikki Crowley, Huck Early Career Chair in Neurobiology and Neural Engineering, assistant professor of biology and director of the Penn State Neuroscience Institute at University Park. "It's born from a wide range of disciplines like philosophy, psychology, chemistry, physics and biology, and the best neuroscience lies at the interface of all of them. At Penn State, the Neuroscience Institute, part of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, facilitates thinking outside the box across traditional disciplines, bringing together researchers from a wide variety of departments and colleges to answer the big questions."
The Penn State Neuroscience Institute facilitates research, training and education in topics related to the health and flourishing of the brain. Founded in 2003, the institute brings together more than 100 faculty members, 50 graduate students, and many staff and postdoctoral fellows, collectively representing more than 25 departments across the University, including several in the Eberly College of Science.
"Researchers in the institute study the brain using a wide variety of approaches, including molecular, cellular, computational and translational biology, as well as cognitive and behavioral methods," Crowley said. "These varied efforts allow us not only to better understand how the brain works but also to make important connections to mental health, aging, and neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases."
