Skip Navigation and Go To Content

The UTHealth Houston Neuroscience Research Center (NRC) is a university-wide center where diverse and multidisciplinary research is conducted to further the understanding of the brain and brain disorders. Established in 1992, the NRC serves as an “umbrella organization,” which brings together neuroscience researchers within UTHealth to promote research, education and outreach.

Whether conducting cellular research in laboratories or clinical trials in patient care settings, the work of NRC researchers may someday contribute to preventing and treating such devastating disorders as:

John H. Byrne, Ph.D.,Director, Neuroscience Research Center
  • Dementias resulting from Alzheimer’s disease and stroke
  • Mental retardation and other learning disabilities
  • Mental illnesses, including schizophrenia and manic-depressive illness
  • Alcoholism and other substance abuse problems
  • Inability to process knowledge due to factors such as aging and head trauma
  • Disabilities due to disorders of the developing nervous system

More than 300 faculty hold NRC appointments, and are on the faculties of the McGovern Medical School, School of Public Health, Cizik School of Nursing, School of Dentistry, and School of Biomedical Informatics. Departments with significant NRC research activities within McGovern Medical School include Neurobiology and Anatomy, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging.

NRC activities are guided by an executive committee appointed by the President of the Health Science Center. Members include: John Byrne, Jennifer Beauchamp, Michael Blackburn, Linda Ewing-Cobbs, Amy Franklin, Cameron Jeter, Louis McCullough, Ponnada Narayana, Joy Schmitz, Jair Soares, Nitin Tandon and Susan Tortolero Emery.

John H. Byrne, Ph.D.
Director, Neuroscience Research Center

John H. Byrne, Ph.D.,Director, Neuroscience Research Center

27th Annual Free Public Forum

The 27th Annual Neuroscience Public Forum will be held on Saturday, April 15, 2023. The annual forum is free to the public and part of international “Brain Awareness Week”. It is one of the largest, public neuroscience outreach events held in Houston, allowing hundreds of members of the Houston community to interact with scientists and clinicians as well as view demonstrations and displays related to brain function and health ...

The topic of the 2023 forum is Post-COVID Brain and Behavioral Health.
Click button below to register for this year's forum.

Moderator:
Antonio L. Teixeira, MD, PhD, MSc
Professor
Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Director, Neuropsychiatry Program

Panelists:
Louise D. McCullough, MD, PhD, FAHA
Professor and Chair
Department of Neurology
Roy M. and Phyllis Gough Huffington Distinguished Chair
Co-Director, UTHealth Neurosciences

Rodrigo Hasbun, MD, MPH
Professor, Infectious Diseases
Department of Internal Medicine

Leslie K. Taylor, PhD
Assistant Professor
Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Clinical Director, Child Services, Trauma and Resilience Center

Public Forum Registration Form

Brain Awareness Week 2023

Brain Night for Kids at McGovern Health Museum (1515 Hermann Dr.) scheduled for the 2023 Brain Awareness Week will be held on Thursday, March 16. Held annually, this free event is part of international “Brain Awareness Week” and packed with exciting activities for kids! Families are invited to hold a real human brain, get their faces painted, learn about reflexes and explore how the brain works.