Published: Dec. 1, 2011

cartoon of frowning facesDo you ever wonder why you have a difficult time paying attention? Or why some people are more sensitive to pain?

CU-Boulder researchers will be seeking answers to these questions, along with larger ones regarding the causes of mental illness and how the brain evolves from childhood to adolescence, thanks to a new 25,000-pound, $3 million machine on campus.

The state-of-the-art neuroimaging scanner allows scientists from Boulder, the Front Range and New Mexico to study the links between brain activity and behavior. CU-Boulder partnered with the  in Albuquerque, N.M., to bring the scanner to campus. It is housed in the same off-campus building as Janus, one of the world’s fastest computers, which will aid scientists working with the scanner.

The research should lead to new avenues for mental health and behavioral treatment, says Donna Caccamise, associate director of CU-Boulder’s Institute of Cognitive Science.

Get involved in research at the Institute of Cognitive Science .