News

A new study from the Yang Lab shows how natural genetic variation can reshape neural circuits to influence decision-making.

Congratulations to the 14 PhD students in neurobiology who defended dissertations in 2025 and 2026 and were eligible to participate in graduation ceremonies on Sunday, May 10, 2026. They were among more than 400 students from the Duke University School of Medicine who graduated, marking the successful culmination of their hard work and dedication.

Lindsey Glickfeld, PhD, was awarded the Gordon Hammes Faculty Teaching Award for sustained excellence in teaching and mentoring graduate students in the basic sciences.

In a new study of how young songbirds learn to sing, a team led by neurobiology faculty Richard Mooney and John Pearson, postdoctoral researcher and first author Drew Schreiner, and including neurobiology alum Samuel Brudner, found that what sounds like random practice is actually a structured learning process, similar to how humans learn skills like speaking or playing music. They discovered that early learning happens at a very specific connection in the brain, showing exactly where learning begins. The research also highlights a key balance in learning: experimenting freely at first, then gradually refining skills into consistent, polished behavior.

Neurobiology training faculty member Tim Dunn has been selected to receive a 2025 Data Analysis award funded by the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI).

When you lift food to your mouth, your brain syncs movements of hands, arms, lips, tongue and jaw. Scientists now say they’ve identified the brain circuitry that makes that everyday act possible. In a new study in mice, a team led by Josh Huang, PhD, identified a previously unknown motor cortex region that synchronizes hand and mouth movements during feeding. Activating the area triggered lifelike eating motions. Shutting parts of it down disrupted the behavior. The work could help explain how complex actions break down in conditions such as stroke or Parkinson’s disease.

A new study led by Neurobiology training faculty member Cagla Eroglu, first author and Neurobiology alum Juan Ramiriz, and a team including interim chair Staci Bilbo, discovered that the star shaped brain cells called astrocytes work with neurons and immune cells to help “trim” extra brain connections shortly after birth, a process that’s crucial for healthy brain development. They found that a protein made by astrocytes, called Hevin, has two forms—one that helps keep useful connections and another that signals immune cells to remove unnecessary ones. This insight could help researchers better understand sensory processing problems and conditions like autism.

Neurobiology training faculty Bradley Goldstein and Debra Silver were among the 22 faculty members in the School of Medicine awarded distinguished professorships. These professorships are awarded to faculty who have demonstrated extraordinary scholarship in advancing science and improving human health.

From immune memory in the brain to exercise‑strengthened cells, student researchers explore how science could help us age with more resilience.

Josh Huang and senior research associate and first author Xu An found an area of the cerebral cortex that helps mice coordinate precise movements of their hands and mouth while handling and eating food.