News
Manipulating Neurons
Boris Zemelman has been influential in the field of optogenetics, which is producing insights that could uncork a flood of new therapies.
![Illustration of a mouse with see-through brain and a light striking an on-off switch in the brain](https://cns.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/optogenetics-cover2400x1350.png)
The Texas Scientist
Unlocking the Mind’s Mysteries
The brain is the most complicated object in the known universe, but as scientists are learning, it offers five important clues for understanding its wonders.
![Illustration of brain by Jenna Luecke.](https://cns.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/image-asset.jpeg)
Keeps Us on Our Toes
Michael Mauk is working on a "digital cerebellum" that mimics the part of the brain that helps us keep from falling. It could help make robots more stable, as well as humans with neurodegenerative diseases.
![Robot standing on a soccer pitch preparing to kick a red ball into a net](https://cns.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/soccer-robot-wang2400x1350.jpg)
Resetting the Alcoholic Brain
The brains of people experiencing alcohol addiction have different patterns of gene expression than those without addiction. Could this lead to a new kind of therapy?
![A pair of hands holding a glass of semi-clear yellowish liquid](https://cns.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/alcoholism2400x1350.jpg)
Neuroscientist Receives 2016 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award
The Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award is the Board of Regents’ highest honor.
![Regents Award](https://cns.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/regents_award.jpg)