Printing brains and inspiring research

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 13:25:00 -0400

At the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, neuroscience participants leave studies with something remarkable — a 3D-printed replica of their own brains. The models help researchers studying adolescent decision-making and young adult eating habits keep participants engaged in long-term studies.

How your brain learns from rewards might hold the key to treating depression

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 11:06:00 -0500

In a new study, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute scientists Pearl Chiu and Brooks Casas investigate how brain signals involved in reward learning might help personalize depression treatment.

Pearl Chiu named Patricia Caldwell Faculty Fellow

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 10:13:00 -0400

A member of the Virginia Tech faculty since 2010, Chiu aims to understand how brain function and decision-making are affected in illnesses such as depression and addiction.

Where clinical psychology and neuroscience converge, this Virginia Tech scientist takes the lead

Mon, 24 Jul 2023 14:24:00 -0400

Neuroscientist Pearl Chiu leads a cutting-edge research laboratory at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute set on finding new treatments for anxiety, substance use, and mood disorders.

Fralin Biomedical Research Institute scientists tie improved learning processes to reduced symptoms of depression

Wed, 28 Jul 2021 11:00:00 -0400

Virginia Tech scientists have identified neural learning processes to be associated with symptoms of depression and linked improvements in these processes to improved symptoms in research participants being treated for depression.

Meet Scientists Working at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute

From cancer cells to human behavior - learn about some of the fascinating, high-impact research that female faculty members at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute are working on.

Meet our Scientists: Dr. Chiu, Dr. DeLuca, Dr. LaConte, Dr. Robel, and Dr. Stein

The Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC’s researchers have diverse backgrounds. Learn more about their research, hobbies, backgrounds, and why they became scientists in our 2021 weekly video series.

New study shows how risk-averse teens sway peers to make safer choices

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 15:05:00 -0500

Prior studies have shown adolescents are likely to experiment along with friends who use drugs and alcohol. But do friends who avoid risks have similar influential power? In a new study, Virginia Tech neuroscientists at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC show that observing peers making sound decisions may help teenagers avoid risky situations.

Medical student’s research suggests gender differences among depressed individuals in learning task behaviors

Tue, 17 Mar 2020 09:59:00 -0400

Mercedes Robinson, Class of 2020, spent the past four years analyzing data obtained through a larger neuroscience study in the lab of her research mentor Pearl Chiu, associate professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute.

Fulbright fellowship awarded to VTCRI research assistant

Tue, 07 Aug 2018 00:00:00 -0400

Brennan Delattre will research the mental health benefits of cooperative movement in Niterói, Brazil.

Scientists find heightened attention to surprise in veterans with PTSD

Wed, 10 Jan 2018 08:30:00 -0500

A new study found that people with PTSD have an increased learning response to surprising events compared to people without PTSD.

Institute Scholars' research crosses the globe and disciplines

Tue, 07 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -0500

The Scholars Program from the Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment is designed to support faculty in strengthening the proposals for external funding, the collection of preliminary data, and other proposal development activities.

NIH’s alcohol addiction research programs leader will speak at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute

Tue, 17 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -0500

George Koob, the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, will discuss the neurocircuitry of alcohol addiction at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute.

Summer Scholars program supports interdisciplinary research

Wed, 20 Jul 2016 00:00:00 -0400

The Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment funds the summer grant program. This year's recipients will study everything from emotion socialization in Appalachia to food security and sovereignty in Guatemala.

Brain scanning reveals that birds of a feather really do flock together

Tue, 19 May 2015 00:00:00 -0400

In a study using functional magnetic resonance imaging, Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientists found that our inherent risk-taking preferences affect how we view and act on information from other people.

Brain School 2015 focuses on beginnings

Tue, 10 Mar 2015 00:00:00 -0400

Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute to host third annual Brain School.

Scientists find possible neurobiological basis for tradeoff between honesty, self-interest

Tue, 23 Sep 2014 00:00:00 -0400

A team of scientists from the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute and the University of California at Berkeley used economic games to study how the brain makes choices about honesty.

Risky business: Scientists seek to identify predictors of risky behaviors among teenagers

Thu, 22 May 2014 00:00:00 -0400

What makes the adolescent brain so susceptible to taking risks? Virginia Tech scientists are recruiting as many as 150 teenagers to help them find out.

Brain Awareness Week will highlight the wonders of nature's most remarkable machine

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0500

Imagine a portable supercomputer that requires only the wattage of a dim lightbulb to run and yet can decode ancient languages, invent fictional worlds, and distinguish friend from foe. The Virginia Tech community will be celebrating that supercomputer – the human brain – during Brain Awareness Week, which begins March 11.

Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute faculty member receives National Institute of Mental Health award

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Pearl Chiu, faculty member with the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, has receive a $1.1 million research award from the National Institute of Mental Health.

Powerful scanners for brain research to be delivered at Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute in Roanoke

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500

A magnetic resonance imaging machine (MRI) being delivered on Nov. 17 to the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute

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