Neuroscience and Behavior

A recent study conducted at the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) is uncovering how the HIV virus spreads in the brain. Smita Iyer, an Associate Professor in the Division of Experimental and Translational Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, led the study during her tenure as a CNPRC core scientist.

California National Primate Center (CNPRC) announced Professor Karen Bales as interim director, marking the first time a woman has held this position in the center’s history.

A new vaccine designed to protect against oxycodone has demonstrated the ability to generate antibodies in the blood, preventing the drug from reaching the brain by trapping it in the bloodstream. The study, funded by the California National Primate Research Center’s Pilot Research Program at the University of California, Davis, examined this promising treatment option for a disorder affecting nearly three million people in the United States. The findings suggest that the vaccine could be a candidate for human use.

at least when it comes to their autonomic nervous system (ANS), compared to their younger counterparts. In an experiment monitoring peripheral nervous system responses to mood-inducing  videos, researchers from Eliza Bliss-Moreau’s lab at the California National Primate Research Center found the videos elicited a response from the monkeys based on content, but the response appeared blunted in older monkeys.

Just how important are first impressions? Using a speed-dating model, student researcher Alexander Baxter, explored the significance of first impressions in humans and nonhuman primates. The work published in the American Journal of Primatology on April 13th, 2023, reveals monkeys and humans strongly rely on first impressions when selecting a romantic partner. 

A series of studies published by Dr. Karen Bales’ lab at the California National Primate Research Center revealed that chronic intranasal oxytocin (OT) produces sex-specific biological and behavioral responses in titi monkeys, a monogamous nonhuman primate. 

SARS-CoV-2, the COVID-19 virus, caused significant neuron damage and inflammation within a week of infection in rhesus macaque monkeys, according to a new study. The researchers from the California National Primate Research Center at the University of California, Davis, also discovered that aged monkeys with Type 2 diabetes experienced worse virus-induced neurological damage. The findings, published in Cell Reports Oct. 12, provide a framework to study the long-term neurological symptoms linked to COVID-19. 

We tend to dichotomize the rational approach of scientific methodology and the creativity of artistic expression. However, the two are much more overlapping than we give them credit for. There is no better example of the intersectionality between art and science than ARTECHOUSE’s original exhibit, 'Life of a Neuron.'