Using artificial intelligence techniques, researchers studying the role of genes and the environment in shaping our personalities have identified gene networks largely responsible for the development of and variation in personality. Those networks include 972 individual genes linked to aspects of personality, such as self-awareness, intentionality — which has to do with a person being […]
A major international Alzheimer’s disease research initiative will open five new sites in Latin America to help researchers understand the development of early-onset Alzheimer’s in Latino populations. For more than a decade, the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN) – funded in large part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and led by Washington University School of […]
“Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation-induced bone remodeling in autosomal recessive osteopetrosis: Interaction between skeleton and hematopoietic and sensory nervous systems” (2020) Bone Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation-induced bone remodeling in autosomal recessive osteopetrosis: Interaction between skeleton and hematopoietic and sensory nervous systems (2020) Bone, 130, art. no. 115144, . Maximova, N.a , Zennaro, F.b , Gregori, M.a , Boz, G.c , Zanon, […]
The WUSTL Neuroscience Pipeline program prepares undergraduates from diverse backgrounds for neuroscience PhD programs. With support from the NIH Blueprint ENDURE Program and WUSTL, accepted students are funded for up to two 10-week summers. The program combines independent research and a rigorous summer curriculum of courses and workshops that focus on building a foundation in […]
Jonathan Kipnis, PhD, an internationally recognized scientific leader in how the nervous and immune systems interact in neurodegenerative, neuroinflammatory and neurodevelopmental disorders, has been named a BJC Investigator at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He will join the Department of Pathology and Immunology, with secondary appointments in the neurology, neuroscience, and neurosurgery departements. Kipnis […]
“Changes in Dosing and Dose Timing of D-Cycloserine Explain Its Apparent Declining Efficacy for Augmenting Exposure Therapy for Anxiety-related Disorders: An Individual Participant-data Meta-analysis” (2019) Journal of Anxiety Disorders Changes in Dosing and Dose Timing of D-Cycloserine Explain Its Apparent Declining Efficacy for Augmenting Exposure Therapy for Anxiety-related Disorders: An Individual Participant-data Meta-analysis (2019) Journal of […]
At the Washington University in St. Louis Board of Trustees meeting Oct. 4, more than a dozen faculty members were appointed or promoted with tenure or granted tenure, effective Oct. 4 unless otherwise indicated. Appointment with tenure Flora Cassen as associate professor of Jewish, Islamic and Middle Eastern studies and of history in Arts & Sciences; […]
Carolina López, PhD, recognized internationally for her research on viral infections, has been named a BJC Investigator and will join the faculty of the Department of Molecular Microbiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. She also will become a member of the faculty at the school’s Center for Women’s Infectious Disease Research. The BJC Investigators Program recruits […]
Alecia Vogel-Hammen, MD, PhD, an instructor in child psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry’s 2019 Pilot Research Award for Attention Disorders. The award, supported by the academy’s Elaine Schlosser Lewis Fund, provides up to $15,000 in funding to junior faculty and […]
The Academy of Educators at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis introduced its inaugural class Tuesday, Sept. 24, in a ceremony at the Eric P. Newman Education Center. Also that day, the academy celebrated the graduation of the first class selected to the Teaching Scholars Program. The Academy of Educators — led by Mary E. Klingensmith, […]
More than 14 million Americans suffer from clinical depression, yet one in three doesn’t experience relief from approved antidepressant drugs. A new treatment approach involving drugs called neurosteroids is on the horizon, however. Neurosteroids occur naturally in the brain and help regulate and modulate the activity of brain cells, but similar molecules also can be […]
“Progressive anemia of prematurity is associated with a critical increase in cerebral oxygen extraction” (2020) Early Human Development Progressive anemia of prematurity is associated with a critical increase in cerebral oxygen extraction (2020) Early Human Development, 140, art. no. 104891, . Whitehead, H.V.a , Vesoulis, Z.A.a , Maheshwari, A.b , Rambhia, A.a , Mathur, A.M.c a Department of Pediatrics, Division of […]
While Conversational Intelligence (C-IQ) is traditionally a methodology, its roots lie in mythology. The late Judith E. Glaser, anthropologist and founder of C-IQ (and long-time author of this blog), first introduced me to the topic of mythology through oral tradition. Her tales of Greek and Roman Philosophy would paint a picture of the themes of […]
The deep stages of sleep may give the brain a chance to wash itself free of potentially toxic substances, a new study suggests. Researchers found that during deep sleep, the “slow-wave” activity of nerve cells appears to make room for cerebral spinal fluid to rhythmically move in and out of the brain — a process […]
Dear Colleagues, We are delighted to announce that Jeanne Velders has accepted the position of IRB Executive Director of the Human Research Protection Office (HRPO) at Washington University. Jeanne has been serving as the Interim Executive Director for HRPO following Martha Jones’ departure this past July. In her new role, Jeanne will be responsible for […]
“Hypothalamic orexin and mechanistic target of rapamycin activation mediate sleep dysfunction in a mouse model of tuberous sclerosis complex” (2020) Neurobiology of Disease Hypothalamic orexin and mechanistic target of rapamycin activation mediate sleep dysfunction in a mouse model of tuberous sclerosis complex (2020) Neurobiology of Disease, 134, art. no. 104615, . Zhang, B.a , Guo, D.a , Han, L.a , […]
Location: St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. Neuroscience Program Global rank: 9 Best Global Universities overall rank: 31 Fact: Washington University in St. Louis is home to a wide array of research centers related to neuroscience, including the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, the Charles F. and Joanne Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center and the McDonnell Center for Systems Neuroscience. Neuroscience […]
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have been awarded a grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to train young scientists to recognize, investigate and work toward correcting disparities in access to mental health care in the United States and sub-Saharan Africa. Although […]
A person’s chance of developing dementia is influenced by family history, variations in certain genes, and medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. But less is known about the factors that affect when the first symptoms of forgetfulness and confusion will arise. A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis […]
Dear Faculty, Staff and Students: With great enthusiasm, I am writing to you to announce that the Division of Biostatistics will be integrating into the Institute for Informatics (I2), effective Dec. 1. The Division of Biostatistics is a medical school-wide facility engaged in research, biostatistical consultation, teaching and training. Its academic mission is grounded in […]
Brain scientists are offering a new reason to control blood sugar levels: It might help lower your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. “There’s many reasons to get [blood sugar] under control,” says David Holtzman, chairman of neurology at Washington University in St. Louis. “But this is certainly one.” Holtzman moderated a panel Sunday at the Society […]
“Identifying reproducible individual differences in childhood functional brain networks: An ABCD study” (2019) Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Identifying reproducible individual differences in childhood functional brain networks: An ABCD study (2019) Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 40, art. no. 100706, . Marek, S.a , Tervo-Clemmens, B.b , Nielsen, A.N.c , Wheelock, M.D.a , Miller, R.L.d , Laumann, T.O.a , Earl, E.f , Foran, W.W.e […]
Lubov Ezerskiy, neuroscience PhD candidate in the Timothy Miller lab, and Jorge Llibre Guerra, MD, a DIAN Trials Unit Fellow in the Randall Bateman lab, have been honored with the 2019 Poletsky Award. The Poletsky Award is presented annually by the Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (Knight ADRC) at Washington University, and is intended to […]
Tens of trillions of microbes, including bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi, live in and on the human body. Their microbial genomes, collectively known as the microbiome, contain at least 100 times more genes than our human genome. Such microbial genes provide us with capabilities that we have not evolved on our own, including the ability […]
Messy tangles of a protein called tau can be found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease and some other neurodegenerative diseases. In Alzheimer’s, the tangles coalesce just before tissue damage becomes visible in brain scans and people start to become forgetful and confused. Now, a new study has found that brain immune cells […]
When we drive to a place and park the car, most of us walk away without giving any thought about how to find the car when we want to leave. A team of researchers at Washington University in St. Louis plans to study how and where the brain stores this type of information so that […]
As people go through their daily and nightly routines, their digestive tracts follow a routine, too: digesting food and absorbing nutrients during waking hours, and replenishing worn-out cells during sleep. Shift work and jet lag can knock sleep schedules and digestive rhythms out of whack. Such disruptions have been linked to increased risk of intestinal […]
David Holtzman, MD, the Andrew B. and Gretchen P. Jones Professor and head of the Department of Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received the August M. Watanabe Prize in Translational Research from the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. He was recognized for his work uncovering the causes of Alzheimer’s disease […]
“Alzheimer Disease: An Update on Pathobiology and Treatment Strategies” (2019) Cell Alzheimer Disease: An Update on Pathobiology and Treatment Strategies (2019) Cell, 179 (2), pp. 312-339. Long, J.M., Holtzman, D.M. Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Charles F. and Joanne Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, United States Abstract Long […]
Physician-scientist and rheumatologist John P. Atkinson, MD, the Samuel B. Grant Professor of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been awarded the Presidential Gold Medal by the American College of Rheumatology. The highest award bestowed by the organization, the medal honors a lifetime of outstanding achievements in clinical medicine, research, education and […]
Washington University is working with unparalleled research capabilities to make personalized medicine a reality. The medical school is pioneering individualized treatment approaches in obesity, diabetes, breast cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Watch the video spotlight.
When Greg Bowman was in second grade, he began to have trouble reading the board in his classroom. Playing goalie for his soccer team also became difficult. Over the following year, he lost most of his central vision due to an inherited genetic disorder, a form of juvenile macular degeneration. “It gradually dawned on me […]
Hong Chen, assistant professor at the McKelvey School of Engineering and at the School of Medicine, received a $309,909 grant from the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to explore the application of a focused ultrasound-mediated drug delivery technique for treating Alzheimer’s disease. Read more.
Gutmann David Gutmann, MD, PhD, the Donald O. Schnuck Family Professor of Neurology at the School of Medicine, has received a second Einstein Visiting Fellowship from the Berlin Institute of Health to study how immune cells in the brain known as microglia are linked to cancer, vision loss and behavioral problems in the disease neurofibromatosis type […]
A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis sheds light on how human gut microbes break down processed foods — especially potentially harmful chemical changes often produced during modern food manufacturing processes. Eating processed foods such as breads, cereals and sodas is associated with negative health effects, including insulin resistance and […]
“Tracking white matter degeneration in asymptomatic and symptomatic MAPT mutation carriers” (2019) Neurobiology of Aging Tracking white matter degeneration in asymptomatic and symptomatic MAPT mutation carriers (2019) Neurobiology of Aging, 83, pp. 54-62. Chen, Q.a b , Boeve, B.F.c , Schwarz, C.G.b , Reid, R.b , Tosakulwong, N.d , Lesnick, T.G.d , Bove, J.e , Brannelly, P.f , Brushaber, […]
After some costly and disappointing drug trial failures, the field welcomes a funding surge, tools for tracking disease, and interdisciplinary collaborations to tackle one of science’s most stubborn puzzles. In the last five years, as several large clinical trials testing drugs for Alzheimer’s disease failed, the field came to a stark conclusion: These approaches did […]
Many thanks to all who participated in this year’s Neuroscience Retreat. Graduate student and post doc presenters at the Retreat were eligible for the Thach Award competition. Congratulations to the 2019 Thach Award winners: Short Talks: Yang Shi, PhD (Holtzman lab, WashU Neurology) “Microglia drive neurodegeneration and mediate APOE’s effect on neurodegeneration in a tauopathy mouse […]
Addressing a nationwide shortage of physician-scientists, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has established a Division of Physician-Scientists to help nurture the career development of physicians who treat patients and also want to conduct scientific research. The division will provide resources, mentorships, and research and leadership programs to encourage and inspire physicians interested […]
David H. Gutmann, MD, PhD, the Donald O. Schnuck Family Professor and vice chair for research affairs in the Department of Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received the Abhijit Guha Award from the Society for Neuro-Oncology and the Section on Tumors of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of […]
“The community structure of functional brain networks exhibits scale-specific patterns of inter- and intra-subject variability” (2019) NeuroImage The community structure of functional brain networks exhibits scale-specific patterns of inter- and intra-subject variability (2019) NeuroImage, 202, art. no. 115990, . Betzel, R.F.a b c , Bertolero, M.A.a , Gordon, E.M.d e , Gratton, C.f g , Dosenbach, N.U.F.f h i , […]
Obesity researchers from around Missouri, led by scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, have received a grant to help evaluate and put in place family-focused weight-management programs designed to reduce childhood obesity, particularly among children from low-income families. With a five-year, $3.7 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and […]
Certain human gut microbes with links to health thrive when fed specific types of ingredients in dietary fibers, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The work — conducted in mice colonized with human gut bacteria and using new technologies for measuring nutrient processing — is a step […]
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis appear to have solved a decades-long mystery regarding the precise biochemical pathway leading to a fatal genetic disorder in children that results in seizures, developmental regression and death, usually around age 3. Studying a mouse model with the same human illness — called Krabbe disease […]
“Pioglitazone improves working memory performance when administered in chronic TBI” (2019) Neurobiology of Disease Pioglitazone improves working memory performance when administered in chronic TBI (2019) Neurobiology of Disease, 132, art. no. 104611, . McGuire, J.L.a , Correll, E.A.a , Lowery, A.C.b , Rhame, K.c , Anwar, F.N.d , McCullumsmith, R.E.e , Ngwenya, L.B.a f a Department of Neurosurgery, University of Cincinnati, […]
Deanna Barch, chair of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences and the Gregory B. Couch Professor of Psychiatry at the School of Medicine, received a $554,195 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for computational psychiatry research. Read more.
“Large posttraumatic stress disorder improvement and antidepressant medication adherence” (2020) Journal of Affective Disorders Large posttraumatic stress disorder improvement and antidepressant medication adherence (2020) Journal of Affective Disorders, 260, pp. 119-123. Salas, J.a b , Scherrer, J.F.a b , Tuerk, P.c , van den Berk-Clark, C.a , Chard, K.M.d , Schneider, F.D.e , Schnurr, P.P.f , Friedman, M.J.f , […]
Thorold Theunissen, assistant professor of developmental biology, Kristen Kroll, associate professor of developmental biology, and Lilianna Solnica-Krezel, the Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor and head of developmental biology, all at the School of Medicine, have received a three-year, $1.04 million grant from the Children’s Discovery Institute for their project titled “Establishing novel stem cell platforms to model developmental disorders […]
Zika virus can cause babies to be born with devastating brain damage. But the signs of Zika infection in adults – rash, fever, headache and body aches – are nonspecific, so a pregnant woman who develops such symptoms can’t be sure if she has contracted Zika or something less risky for her fetus. A diagnostic […]
“Alternative ecological strategies lead to avian brain size bimodality in variable habitats” (2019) Nature Communications Alternative ecological strategies lead to avian brain size bimodality in variable habitats (2019) Nature Communications, 10 (1), art. no. 3818, . Fristoe, T.S.a b , Botero, C.A.b a Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, Konstanz, 78464, Germany b Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, […]
