Researchers from the University of Minnesota Informatics Institute (UMII), which is a partner with MSI in the Research Computing group, will be part of a new Center for Neural Circuits in Addiction. The Center is funded by a $9.9M grant from the National Institutes on Drug Addiction, with additional funding from Medical Discovery Teams and MnDrive. An interdisciplinary team of researchers at the Center will develop tools for discovering how addiction changes the brain. UMII researchers, led by Dr. Thomas Pengo (Director of Applications and Services) will be involved with state-of-the-art mapping of the anatomy of brain circuits. MSI PI Mark Sanders (Neuroscience; program director, University Imaging Centers) is also leading research for this core of the Center.
Stories about the new Center appears on the Office of the Vice President for Research Inquiry blog: New Center to Explore the Brain Science Behind Addiction and on the University of Minnesota News site: University of Minnesota Receives $9.9M Federal Grant to Establish New Center for the Brain Science of Addiction.