{"679941":{"#nid":"679941","#data":{"type":"news","title":"From Molecules to Mind: Farzaneh Najafi Receives Multiple Awards for Cognitive Research","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn psychology and neuroscience research, a host of behaviors fall under the cognitive umbrella: learning, perceiving the environment, storing memories, and making decisions are just a few. Much like binary code underpins complex computational processes, researchers have long been searching for the molecular mechanisms that enable cognition.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/people.research.gatech.edu\/node\/17976\u0022\u003EFarzaneh Najafi\u003C\/a\u003E, an assistant professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E(SBS) , recently received multiple awards that will enable her to dig deeper into the molecular origins of cognitive processes, with the help of interdisciplinary teams.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIf we want to understand cognition, we really have to start small: at the level of molecules, genes, and the genome, and then work our way up to systems, behavior, and cognition,\u201d says Najafi. \u201cImpactful discoveries happen when people from different disciplines come together and collaborate. That\u2019s how we make real breakthroughs.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETwo of her recent awards stem from the third and final year of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/rescorp.org\/scialog\/molecular-basis-of-cognition\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EScialog: Molecular Basis of Cognition\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;initiative. Funded by the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/rescorp.org\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch Corporation for Science Advancement\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E (RCSA), the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/rctech.com\/about-us\/foundation\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFrederick Gardner Cottrell Foundation\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, and the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.walderfoundation.org\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWalder Foundation\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, this initiative \u003Ca\u003Ehas provided 48 multidisciplinary teams with more than $2.4 million to advance this area of research.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s exciting that Farzaneh has won not just one, but two team-based Scialog awards,\u201d said SBS School Chair \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/people.research.gatech.edu\/node\/3756\u0022\u003EJeffrey (Todd) Streelman\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cSolving big problems in neuroscience often requires teams, and Farzaneh is well-placed to apply this in her research program.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith additional funding from the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t\u0026amp;source=web\u0026amp;rct=j\u0026amp;opi=89978449\u0026amp;url=https:\/\/www.whitehall.org\/\u0026amp;ved=2ahUKEwjlo5H_9fWKAxXRJNAFHSGqFU4QFnoECAwQAQ\u0026amp;usg=AOvVaw0l-R98tbK3o5VtJkvBd96R\u0022\u003EWhitehall Foundation\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chanzuckerberg.com\/\u0022\u003EChan Zuckerberg Initiative,\u003C\/a\u003E Najafi is set to lead several interdisciplinary projects to uncover the role of the cerebellum and neocortex (the brain\u2019s outer layer) across distinct cognitive processes.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAt the end of the day, the goal is to develop effective therapeutics,\u201d says Najafi, whose work has long aimed to better understand and treat psychiatric and neurological disorders. \u201cTo develop targeted treatments, we have to\u0026nbsp;identify the molecules that are at the core of these cognitive processes.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDeeper than thought\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThroughout her career, Najafi has focused on how the brain makes and uses predictions to influence learning and behavior, with a particular focus on an area in the back of the brain called the cerebellum.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWithout those predictions, our perceptions and actions would be significantly delayed, which could impact our survival,\u201d explains Najafi. \u201cLearning happens when we update those predictions to better align with the world around us.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENajafi will bring that cerebellar expertise to two collaborative teams with the Scialog initiative.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWorking with researchers from Stanford University and Case Western Reserve University, one of Najafi\u2019s Scialog projects will focus on how sleep deprivation alters the 3D structure of genetic material in different species\u2019 cerebellum\u2014 and investigate potential mechanisms to reverse those changes.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHer second project, in collaboration with researchers from University of California San Francisco and Duke University, explores how the brain chemical norepinephrine affects cerebellar activity across species. This research aims to understand the cerebellum\u0027s role in behavioral flexibility and adaptation, revealing how these chemical signals influence various brain functions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWorking across disciplines\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFormed at the October 2024 Scialog meeting, Najafi\u2019s two collaborative teams are part of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/rescorp.org\/scialog\u0022\u003Ean RCSA initiative\u003C\/a\u003Ethat unites early career scientists in advancing basic science and developing high-risk, high-reward research projects. The Scialog: Molecular Basis of Cognition initiative, begun in 2022, annually gathered around 50 early career researchers to create collaborative proposals.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe best part of the Scialog meeting was connecting with people from all kinds of disciplines. They worked with different species, used a variety of experimental and computational tools, and some attendees came from non-neuroscience backgrounds,\u201d says Najafi. \u201cI had no idea that these were the topics I was going to write about \u2014 they only came about because of the inspiring conversations I had at the meeting. I really loved the experience.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBoth Scialog teams are highly interdisciplinary, with researchers bringing expertise in different techniques and species to the team. Even within her own lab, Najafi attributes impactful research to interdisciplinary teams.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe only way to solve big questions in neuroscience is through an interdisciplinary approach,\u201d says Najafi, who is affiliated with two Interdisciplinary Research Institutes (IRI) at Georgia Tech: the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/bio\u0022\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/a\u003E and the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/neuro.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ENeuro Next Initiative\u003C\/a\u003E, a nascent IRI in neuroscience and society. \u201cWhat\u2019s great about Georgia Tech is its strong emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration. With these research institutes, the infrastructure is already in place, and they\u0027re actively working to expand it.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe School of Biological Sciences assistant professor has received several awards that will enable interdisciplinary research on the neural mechanisms of cognition.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The School of Biological Sciences assistant professor has received several awards that will enable interdisciplinary research on the neural mechanisms of cognition."}],"uid":"35575","created_gmt":"2025-01-24 17:35:18","changed_gmt":"2025-01-24 17:39:44","author":"adavidson38","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-01-24T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2025-01-24T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"676126":{"id":"676126","type":"image","title":"Farzaneh_Najafi-lab_pic.jpeg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EFarzaneh Najafi, assistant professor in the School of Biological Sciences at Georgia Tech, conducting research in her lab.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1737740258","gmt_created":"2025-01-24 17:37:38","changed":"1737740258","gmt_changed":"2025-01-24 17:37:38","alt":"Farzaneh Najafi, assistant professor in the School of Biological Sciences at Georgia Tech, conducting research in her lab.","file":{"fid":"259849","name":"Farzaneh_Najafi-lab_pic.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/01\/24\/Farzaneh_Najafi-lab_pic.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/01\/24\/Farzaneh_Najafi-lab_pic.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3427449,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/01\/24\/Farzaneh_Najafi-lab_pic.jpeg?itok=vBC5WB2s"}},"676127":{"id":"676127","type":"image","title":"Farzaneh-Najafi-research-group.jpeg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EFarzaneh Najafi, who is affiliated with the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience and the Neuro Next Initiative, with her research group.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1737740301","gmt_created":"2025-01-24 17:38:21","changed":"1737740301","gmt_changed":"2025-01-24 17:38:21","alt":"Farzaneh Najafi, who is affiliated with the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience and the Neuro Next Initiative, with her research group.","file":{"fid":"259850","name":"Farzaneh-Najafi-research-group.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/01\/24\/Farzaneh-Najafi-research-group.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/01\/24\/Farzaneh-Najafi-research-group.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3544425,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/01\/24\/Farzaneh-Najafi-research-group.jpeg?itok=ZR-ksUCs"}}},"media_ids":["676126","676127"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/neuro.gatech.edu\/brain-ai-and-back-georgia-tech-hosts-inaugural-computational-cognition-conference","title":"From Brain to AI and Back: Georgia Tech Hosts Inaugural Computational Cognition Conference"},{"url":"https:\/\/neuro.gatech.edu\/georgia-tech-neuroscientists-explore-intersection-music-and-memory","title":"Georgia Tech Neuroscientists Explore the Intersection of Music and Memory"},{"url":"https:\/\/neuro.gatech.edu\/neuroscience-study-taps-brain-network-patterns-understand-deep-focus-attention","title":"Neuroscience Study Taps Into Brain Network Patterns to Understand Deep Focus, Attention"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"66220","name":"Neuro"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"172970","name":"go-neuro"},{"id":"187582","name":"go-ibb"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"192253","name":"cos-neuro"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"193656","name":"Neuro Next Initiative"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:audra.davidson@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAudra Davidson\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EResearch Communications Program Manager\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/neuro.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ENeuro Next Initiative\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Audra.davidson@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}