National Institutes of Health Awards Grant to Psychology Professor

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Nathan Parks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Nathan Parks, assistant professor of psychological science in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, received a three-year grant from the National Institutes of Health titled "Short-Term Plasticity in the Human Visual System: The Role of Cortical Feedback." Parks will receive $259,078 over the three-year period. 

The National Institutes of Health’s National Eye Institute funds the award to promote the advancement of biomedical research with the theory that today's ideas are the root of tomorrow's groundbreaking medical discoveries.

“The research project will investigate how the human brain adapts and reorganizes following a loss of visual inputs from the eye,” Parks said.

Parks’ grant application went through a rigorous system of peer review. Scientists, physicians and other experienced individuals in biomedical fields from around the world evaluated the merit of his proposed research project and its potential to advance science.

The grant will be used to purchase equipment and supplies, fund graduate students and undergraduate research assistants, cover publication costs and attend academic conferences.

“We are very grateful to have received this generous research award from the National Eye Institute,” Parks said. “We believe that the findings of our research will lead to a better understanding of the organizational principles of the human visual system and may inform future therapies for degenerative retinal diseases.”

This grant will also benefit the department of psychological science, Fulbright College and the University of Arkansas by increasing student exposure to the neurosciences though its support of graduate and undergraduate research. 

More information about Parks' work may be found at the Cortical Dynamics Laboratory website.