Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory

Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory The Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory (CNLM) is the first research institute in the

The Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory (CNLM) was established by the UC Regents in 1983 with Dr. James McGaugh as the Founding Director. The CNLM is the first research institute in the world dedicated exclusively to the multidisciplinary study of the basic brain mechanisms that allow us to acquire, retain and use information. The CNLM has been a global leader in learning and memory

research and education for over thirty years. From its inception, the CNLM has played a critical role in advancing scientific discovery in the neurosciences. Center researchers have backgrounds and credentials in a variety of research disciplines (neuroscience, psychology, chemistry, anatomy, pharmacology, molecular biology) that influence their approaches to the study of learning and memory. Using state-of-the-art neuroscience techniques, they investigate the formation, maintenance and retrieval of memory across all levels of analysis, from studies of molecular and cellular processes in the brain to studies of memory in behaving animal and human subjects. Work at the CNLM has direct impact on real world applications such as education, technology, and brain health. In its thirty-year history, the CNLM has educated hundreds of graduate and postdoctoral researchers and thousands of undergraduate students. This education has prepared them to make their own contributions to this field of knowledge and to teach future generations of scientists. Former graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in the CNLM hold positions of leadership in neuroscience across the globe and have exponentially multiplied the impact of the Center in the field.

03/18/2026

It’s Brain Awareness Week, a global celebration of the brain and the impact neuroscience has on our everyday lives.

Tonight, we’re excited to invite you to How It’s Made: Neuroscience, a conversation that brings scientists and the public together to explore how neuroscience works and why it matters.

✨ Free & open to the public
πŸ“ Live on Zoom 3/18/26
πŸ”— Register through the link in bio

Come be part of the conversation.

🧠 Big brain news: a CNLM discovery just landed on a journal cover.Researchers mapped a mental health–linked protein acro...
02/13/2026

🧠 Big brain news: a CNLM discovery just landed on a journal cover.

Researchers mapped a mental health–linked protein across memory circuits and found a surprising twist that refines how scientists model synapse development.

Doctoral student Matthew Sandoval led the work in the laboratory of Dr. Javier Diaz-Alonso.

πŸ“˜ Featured on the cover of The Journal of Neuroscience ()
πŸ”— Link in bio

Our Science Ambassadors are at the Tustin Farmers Market today to talk about BRAINS! 🧠Join us 9-1pm!
01/25/2026

Our Science Ambassadors are at the Tustin Farmers Market today to talk about BRAINS! 🧠

Join us 9-1pm!

πŸ€ 🧠 Join us at the UC Irvine Women’s Basketball game TODAY for interactive neuroscience activities, giveaways, and a cha...
01/24/2026

πŸ€ 🧠 Join us at the UC Irvine Women’s Basketball game TODAY for interactive neuroscience activities, giveaways, and a chance to hold a real preserved human brain.

πŸ“ Bren Events Center
πŸ—“οΈ Jan 24 | Tipoff at 2 PM

Come early, bring your brainy curiosity, and cheer loud!

01/23/2026

πŸ€ 🧠 Join us at the UC Irvine Women’s Basketball game tomorrow for interactive neuroscience activities, giveaways, and a chance to hold a real preserved human brain.

πŸ“ Bren Events Center
πŸ—“οΈ Jan 24 | Tipoff at 2 PM

Come early, bring your brainy curiosity, and cheer loud!

Today, we honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s words and carry them forward.
01/19/2026

Today, we honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s words and carry them forward.

Curious about the brain? This is your day. 🧠🐝The Irvine Brain Bee brings high school students to UC Irvine for a full da...
01/16/2026

Curious about the brain? This is your day. 🧠🐝

The Irvine Brain Bee brings high school students to UC Irvine for a full day of hands-on neuroscience, real lab experiences, and conversations with scientists who were once in your shoes.

πŸ”¬ Interactive brain science activities
πŸŽ“ Explore college life at UC Irvine
🀝 Meet faculty & student mentors
πŸ’› Free lunch + Brain Bee t-shirt included

πŸ“… Feb 7, 2026 | 9AM–4PM
πŸ“ UC Irvine Campus
πŸ‘©β€πŸŽ“ Open to high school students
βœ… Registration required. Use link in QR code on last slide πŸ˜‰

Swipe through to see past Brain Bees in action ➑️

01/12/2026

🧠✨ Calling all Southern California high schoolers!

Step into the world of neuroscience at UC Irvine’s Brain Explorer Academy, a hands-on after-school program where students explore real brain science on a college campus.

In BEA 2.0, students will:
πŸ”¬ Explore neuroscience in action
πŸ§ͺ Conduct hands-on experiments
πŸ‘©β€πŸ”¬ Learn directly from UC Irvine neuroscientists
πŸŽ“ Strengthen college applications
🀝 Join a community of future scientists

No prior BEA participation required.
You do not need to have been part of BEA 1.0 to apply for BEA 2.0.

πŸ—“οΈ April 14 – June 18
⏰ Tuesdays & Thursdays | 4:30–6 PM
πŸ“ UC Irvine | Center for the Neurobiology of Learning & Memory

πŸš€ Applications now open. Deadline Feb 1
πŸ‘‰ Tap the link in bio or scan the QR code to apply.

11/07/2025

πŸ“£ Calling all Undergraduate Students!

Applications are NOW OPEN for the 2026 Irvine Summer Institute in Neuroscience!

🧠 Conduct research in a neuroscience lab at UC Irvine
πŸ’‘ Participate in professional development workshops to prepare for graduate school and a career in neuroscience research
😎 Explore Southern California with a cohort of 20 students from across the country
🀝 Build lasting relationships with mentors
πŸ’² Travel, housing, and meal expenses covered plus a $700/week stipend

✨ Join us for an Info Session with program leadership:
🧠 Nov 10
🧠 Dec 1

πŸ”— Learn more and apply: cnlm.uci.edu/summerinstitute

10/31/2025

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Halloween Brainfest! Check out our stories for more photos including lab photos!

Happy Halloween from the CNLM!

What happens to your brain during hormonal changes?Spoiler alert: a lot!Discover how hormones shape memory, emotion, and...
10/20/2025

What happens to your brain during hormonal changes?
Spoiler alert: a lot!

Discover how hormones shape memory, emotion, and cognition across the lifespan with Dr. Emily Jacobs, Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at UC Santa Barbara.

Join us for the CNLM Distinguished Lecture on Brain, Learning, and Memory:

🧠 New Frontiers in Women’s Brain Health
πŸ—“ January 28, 2026 | 7:30 PM
πŸ“ Irvine Barclay Theatre

🎟 Register today β€” link in bio.

Address

320 Qureshey Research Lab
Irvine, CA
92697

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