2025–26 & Prior Awards
Jianjun Sun received an award from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development for the project,
A Novel Role of Corpus Luteum in Female Reproduction.
Karen Menuz received an award from the National Institutes of Health for the project,
Molecular Basis of Insect Olfaction.
Anastasios Tzingounis received a Seed Grant from the Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences for
KCNQ2 encephalopathy variants lead to global changes to the cortical phosphoproteome.
Scott Rich received a Seed Grant from the Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences for
Deciphering the mechanism of action of Vagus Nerve Stimulation in post-stroke rehabilitation.
John Redden received two awards from the 2024–25 Provost's Common Curriculum Grant Competition.
Natale Sciolino received a NARSAD Young Investigator Grant from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation for
Norepinephrine circuits underlying obesity-induced negative affect.
Cleyton Sobrinho received an award from the Simons Foundation Autism Research Bridge to Independence program for
Disordered breathing in autism: screen for central and peripheral nervous system involvement and therapeutic potential.
Alexander Jackson received a joint award with David Martinelli, UConn Health, from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for
A novel trans-synaptic adhesion complex as a regulator of hypocretin/orexin control of arousal.
Cleyton Sobrinho received an award from the CCHS Network for
Putative roles of NTS neurons in maintenance of breathing and survival in a mouse model of CCHS.
Georgia Zarkada received an award from the Retina Research Foundation for
Modulation of retinal vascularization by endothelial cell genetic reprogramming.
Daniel Mulkey received an award from DHHS/NIH/NINDS for
Molecular Signature of Parafacial Expiratory Neurons.
2025-2026 Academic Year
2026 Neuron Conference
Geoffrey Tanner co-organized the 2026 Neuron Conference, held April 11, 2026 at the SITE at Quinnipiac University.
28th Annual Neuroscience at Storrs
Alexander Jackson organized the 28th Annual Neuroscience at Storrs Meeting, held November 6, 2025 in the Dodd Center and Bousfield Building on the UConn Storrs campus.
2024-2025 Academic Year
2024 Gordon Research Conference on the Hypothalamus
Alexander Jackson served as co-chair and co-organizer of the 2024 Gordon Research Conference on the Hypothalamus at Bates College in Maine.
2026-2027 Academic Year
First-in-Class Approach to Treatment-Resistant Cancers
Dr. Rahul Kanadia and Verintas Therapeutics are advancing a first-in-class therapeutic approach targeting the minor spliceosome in treatment-resistant cancers. The work was selected for presentation at Harvard Business School Foundry Demo Day, highlighting emerging health and life science ventures.
2025-2026 Academic Year
July 20, 2026
UConn Today: "How Brain Chemistry Changes What We Taste"
Natale Sciolino was featured in UConn Today for her recent NIH R01 grant and research exploring the neuroscience of taste.
January 14, 2026
UConn Today: "Faking a Ketogenic Diet May Still Get Results – in Fruit Flies"
UConn PNB faculty Jeff Divino and Geoffrey Tanner were featured for research examining the effects of dietary supplementation with the ketogenic diet metabolite beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) on Drosophila physiology, development, and reproduction. The collaborative study involved more than two dozen undergraduate researchers, many from PNB.
October 15, 2025
Neuroscience: "Stress Reactivity is Modulated by Cannabinoid Type-1 Receptors in Norepinephrine and Epinephrine Neurons in a Context-Dependent Manner"
Cover artwork submitted alongside Christopher Engborg's manuscript was selected for the front cover of Neuroscience, Issue 585C.
October 15, 2025
Journal of Neuroscience: Kristen Springer Publication Featured on Issue Cover
Kristen Springer of the Tzingounis/Jackson Labs had a paper accepted in Journal of Neuroscience, with the publication also selected for the issue cover.
“Mislocalization of KCNQ2 Channels as a Pathogenic Mechanism in KCNQ2 Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathy”
2024-2025 Academic Year
September 15, 2024
UConn Today: "Unusual Expertise Brings Coveted Autism Award to UConn"
Cleyton Sobrinho was featured in UConn Today for receiving a Bridge to Independence Award from the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI).
Recent Publications
- An opto-microperfusion neural probe for multiplexed detection of optogenetically evoked neurochemical release dynamics October 6, 2026Probing the spatiotemporal release dynamics of multiple neurochemicals simultaneously in vivo is essential for understanding the molecular basis of brain function and behavior. Microdialysis enables multiplexed neurochemical analysis when combined with advanced molecular tools such as mass spectrometry, but existing microdialysis probes typically exhibit low recovery rates and provide temporal resolution of several minutes, which […]Yuxuan Zhang
- Locus coeruleus activation transforms cortical taste representations September 16, 2026Noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC) shape sensory processing, yet how LC activity influences population taste coding remains unclear. Using optogenetic LC activation with miniscope imaging in the gustatory cortex (GC), we examined LC modulation of multiple taste attributes. Phasic LC activation strengthens correlations between neuronal responses and palatability and expands the dynamic range […]Will Fan
- Carotid body dysfunction contributes to respiratory instability in Rett syndrome September 1, 2026Rett syndrome (RTT) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in MECP2. Disordered breathing is a hallmark feature of RTT that negatively impacts quality of life and can be life-threatening. Despite this, the mechanisms underlying disordered breathing in RTT are poorly understood. Although RTT is primarily considered a central nervous system disorder, we found that […]Monica L Strain
- Identification of markers facilitating the study of support cells in adult olfactory sensilla in Drosophila August 12, 2026In the Drosophila antenna, olfactory sensilla are the fundamental unit of odor detection and processing. Sensilla house one to four olfactory neurons enwrapped by three distinct support cells: thecogen, trichogen, and tormogen cells. While olfactory neurons and their odor receptors have been extensively studied in Drosophila, and increasingly in other insect species, much less is […]Sydney Ballou
- Brain-Wide Mapping and Synaptic Localization of C1QL3 Using a Novel Epitope-Tagged Knock-In Mouse August 7, 2026Synapse formation and function are coordinated spatially and temporally by a host of synaptic proteins that regulate neuronal signaling, synapse specificity, and plasticity, many of which are implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders. Many members of the C1q/TNF superfamily function as synaptic organizers, shaping synapse assembly and maintenance. Among them, C1QL3 plays a putative role in trans-synaptic […]William P Armstrong