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The Department of Neurobiology and Behavior (NBB) was among the first to combine the study of animal behavior with its neural basis. Our faculty and students are dedicated to exploring a wide range of scientific topics, from single neurons and complex circuits to whole organisms and their societies. Central to our mission is the quest to unravel the profound mysteries of how nervous systems generate behavior, including the evolutionary pathways that have shaped brains and behavior over time. We believe these scientific frontiers are not just fascinating but also critical for understanding the intricacies of the brain, the least understood organ that underlies human experience
Luck can change life later on. “We wanted to know,” Matthew Zipple, a Postdoctoral Associate in the Sheehan Lab in the neurobiology and behavior department at Cornell University told NPR, “if we create a society where everyone starts out with the same genetics, has access to the same resources in th...
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Cornell scientists have identified the neural pathway mice use to direct the tongue to tactile targets.
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Lucky breaks in a male mouse’s youth can lead to large advantages in adulthood, especially in groups that compete for food, territory and mates.
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The eyes may be the window to the soul, but the pupil is key to understanding how, and when, the brain forms strong, long-lasting memories, Cornell researchers have found.
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Thanks to their genetic makeup, their ability to navigate mazes and their willingness to work for cheese, mice have long been a go-to model for behavioral and neurological studies.
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"The take-home message from my book is that these small creatures are extremely intelligent. They may well be the most intelligent of all the insects."
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Our brain cells remain active while we sleep, allowing for new memories to form. Azahara Oliva, assistant professor of the Neurobiology and Behavior Department at Cornell University is quoted, “This means that memory is a two-fold process, with neural circuits that enhance the consolidation of a...
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An interdisciplinary group of animal behavior researchers from the fields of biology, psychology, anthropology and philosophy were included in the survey. Klarman Fellow Matthew Zipple is first author.
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