Media

Major breakthrough in untangling mysteries of the brain
HKU scientists unveil new functions of an important brain region
providing insights to causes and treatments of brain diseases

15 Sep 2017

The hippocampus, located underneath the cortex, plays important roles in memory and navigation. Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia have been proven to have affected and damaged this area of the brain, resulting in early symptoms including short-term memory loss and disorientation. It is also closely related to other diseases such as epilepsy, schizophrenia, transient global amnesia and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Rodent experiments conducted by the research team led by Lam Woo Professor of Biomedical Engineering Ed X. Wu of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Hong Kong has made important breakthrough in unveiling new functions of this important brain region. The findings provide insights to brain functions enhancement and signify the potentials of rsfMRI and neuromodulation for early diagnosis and enhanced treatment of brain diseases.

The findings have been published in the prestigious international academic journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS).

Professor Wu’s team is one of the world’s leading teams in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) research, particularly in the investigation of auditory and visual functions, and brain structural and functional connectivity.

A media conference will be held to explain the findings. Details are as follows:
Date: September 18, 2017 (Monday)
Time: 11am
Venue: Rm 515, Faculty Conference Room, Faculty of Engineering, 5/F., Haking Wong Building, HKU

For media enquiries, please contact Ms Melanie Wan, Communications and Public Affairs Office, HKU, tel: 2859 2600 / email: melwkwan@hku.hk; or Ms Bonnie Tsang, Faculty of Engineering, HKU, tel: 3917 1924 / email: bonniepy@hku.hk .