Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit | College of Medicine

Researcher's gloved hands hold petri dish and swab

Excellence in Clinical Neuroscience Research

The Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit studies biological and psychological mechanisms which underlie changes that occur in cognitive functioning associated with development and aging. We use advanced methodologies, including MRI, to understand how brain systems are altered in health and disease.

Two researchers examine brain scans at computer

Collaboration

We work with the Department of Psychiatry at the Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, as well as The University of Vermont Medical Center.

Research

We study chronic pain and the effects of treatments including cognitive behavioral therapy and medications on brain structure and functioning, disorders that have a behavioral and cognitive componenet, such as Parkinson's disease and ADHD, and sex hormones and neurotransmitter influences on brain function, with particular regard to healthy aging.

Facilities

We utilize many resources, including the University of Vermont MRI Center for Biomedical Imaging, Vermont Clinical Research Center, and the Vermont Advanced Computing Core.

Research Spotlight

The Nicotinic Cholinergic System and Cognitive Aging

Principal Investigator: Julie Dumas, Ph.D.

This study will examine the role of the nicotinic system in cognitive aging and whether nicotinic mechanisms have the potential to benefit cognition in healthy adults.