College of Medicine
Burns Lab
Led by Matthew Burns · Neurology
What we study
The Burns Lab studies the molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases, aging, and neuromodulation. They use high-field imaging, brain machine interfaces, and electrophysiology to develop therapies for movement disorders and dementia.
What working here is like
- Clinical
- Wet lab
- Computational
- Human participants
- Rats
- Coding helps
- Projects
- 2
- Papers
- 5
Current projects
Clinical Research Consortium for the Study of Cerebellar Ataxias
A NIH-funded study on non-motor symptoms of neurodegenerative disorders.
Effects of Intra-striatal Injection of α-synuclein Pre-formed Fibrils in Young and Aged Rats
The lab models Parkinson’s disease by injecting protein clumps into rat brains. The student gave the injections to young (6 months) and old (22‑24 months) rats, tested memory tasks and brain scans, and found older rats performed worse and showed altered brain connectivity.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 279
Summaries are written by AI in plain language from public symposium abstracts and may be imperfect.
Recent papers, explained
- Effective assessment for instructional decisions: matching data to purposes
2026 · Preventing School Failure Alternative Education for Children and Youth
Explains how to choose the right tests for different teaching decisions.
- Effect of a Science Vocabulary Intervention on Vocabulary, Comprehension, and Attitude Among Middle-School Multilingual Learners
2026 · Learning Disabilities Research and Practice
Tests a science vocabulary program to help middle-school multilingual learners.
Show 3 more papersShow fewer
- Language and reading: predicting reading proficiency with morphology, syntax, and vocabulary
2026 · Reading and Writing
- Criteria for Accurate Oral Reading to Indicate Difficulties with Reading Decoding
2026 · Reading & Writing Quarterly
Links reading accuracy to nonsense word decoding for first through third graders.
- Effectiveness of Systematic Handwriting Intervention with Students with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities: A Repeated Acquisition Design
2026 · Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
Matthew Burns hasn't set up this page yet. You can also look them up in the UF directory (search “Matthew Burns”).