Brain Health Research Content

UC Davis Researchers Look at How the Brain Prioritizes What We See

Karen Michele Nikos-Rose — September 23, 2025 - 8:00am

How we focus our attention before we even see an object matters. For example, when we look for something moving in the sky, our expectation would be very different if the object is a bird flying past or a baseball coming straight at us.

But it’s unclear whether our brain’s attention focuses first on a broad characteristic of the anticipated object, such as movement, or a specific feature — such as the direction of movement up or down.

Toddlers’ Eye Movements Predict Ability to Judge Memories, New Research Suggests

Andy Fell — June 11, 2025 - 9:00am

The simple act of looking and comparing may be the first step toward learning how to judge what we remember, a skill that is fundamental to learning and making decisions.

New research from the University of California, Davis, has found that toddlers who tend to look more closely at and compare paired images during a memory task are more aware of the accuracy of their own memories a year later. This finding connects the earliest process of seeking information with the developing ability to judge the accuracy of memories.

Audrey Fan, Ph.D.

Tristan Peery — May 20, 2025 - 2:20pm

College of Engineering (Brain Health)

Alyssa Weakley, Ph.D.

Tristan Peery — March 27, 2025 - 11:37am

School of Medicine (Alzheimer’s Treatment)

Dr. Charles DeCarli

Tristan Peery — March 25, 2025 - 2:06pm

School of Medicine (Alzheimer’s Disease)

John Morrison, Ph.D.

Tristan Peery — March 03, 2025 - 11:08am

Department of Neurology, California National Primate Research Center (Alzheimer’s Disease)

Psychologist of ‘Attention’ Receives UC Davis Teaching Prize

Karen Michele Nikos-Rose — December 10, 2024 - 10:23pm

How the brain remembers has a lot to do with focus. It’s in this area of cognitive science that Steven Luck, professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, has built a career pushing the frontiers of both science and teaching.

Asthma May Place Children at Risk of Memory Difficulties, New Research Finds

Andy Fell — November 12, 2024 - 2:41pm

Asthma is associated with memory difficulties in children, and early onset of asthma may exacerbate memory deficits, according to a new study from the University of California, Davis. The study, the first of its kind to connect asthma to memory deficits in children, was published in Nov. 5 in JAMA Network Open.

Innovative New Technology Helps Seniors Age in Place

Jocelyn C Anderson — August 27, 2024 - 10:30am

I-Care connects older adults with mild cognitive impairment to long-distance family members, providing support for daily tasks and continuing care at home.

Exploring Early Stage Alzheimer’s Disease

Andy Fell — June 24, 2024 - 12:30pm

Research in nonhuman primates is opening the possibility of testing treatments for the early stages of Alzheimer’s and similar diseases, before extensive brain cell death and dementia set in. A study published June 21 in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association shows up to a six-month window in which disease progress could be tracked and treatments tested in rhesus macaques.