Like so many other good things in life, sleep is best in moderation. A multiyear study of older adults found that both short and long sleepers experienced greater cognitive decline than people who slept a moderate amount, even when the effects of early Alzheimer’s disease were taken into account. The study was led by researchers […]
So much has happened in the world to cause people to think deeper about their mental well-being and resiliency during difficult times. More than 50% of the population has struggled with a mental health issue at some point in their lives. They can be as disabling as physical conditions and are among the leading causes […]
Negative emotional states and physical pain are intimately connected. Numerous people who suffer from chronic, persistent pain also deal with negative emotions and loss of motivation. Some even become clinically depressed eventually, and doctors sometimes prescribe antidepressants to treat chronic pain, even though the pathways that link pain and mood are poorly understood. Now, studying […]
“Circadian neurons in the paraventricular nucleus entrain and sustain daily rhythms in glucocorticoids” (2021) Nature Communications Circadian neurons in the paraventricular nucleus entrain and sustain daily rhythms in glucocorticoids (2021) Nature Communications, 12 (1), art. no. 5763, . Jones, J.R.a b , Chaturvedi, S.a , Granados-Fuentes, D.a , Herzog, E.D.a a Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States b Department of Biology, Texas […]
Medical imaging scientist Samuel Achilefu, PhD, and child psychiatrist Joan L. Luby, MD, both of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine, a part of the National Academy of Sciences. Membership in the academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and […]
A spinal cord injury damages the lines of communication between the body and brain, impeding the signals that drive movement and sensation. Injured motor and sensory neurons in the central nervous system — the brain and spinal cord — have limited ability to heal, so people who survive such injuries can be left with chronic […]
Pediatric neurosurgeon Tae Sung Park, MD, one of the top neurosurgeons worldwide in his field, has been named the Margery Campbell Fort Professor of Neurological Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The professorship was established by St. Louis philanthropist and businessman Jeffrey Fort in memory of his mother, Margery Fort, who died […]
Adam Joseph Bloom, assistant professor of genetics and of anesthesiology at the School of Medicine, received a five-year $2.9 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for his research titled “Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders.” Originally published on The Source.
“Spectral signature of attentional reorienting in the human brain” (2021) NeuroImage Spectral signature of attentional reorienting in the human brain (2021) NeuroImage, 244, art. no. 118616, . Spadone, S.a , Betti, V.b c , Sestieri, C.a , Pizzella, V.a , Corbetta, M.d e f , Della Penna, S.a a Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences – and ITAB, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, G. d’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, […]
In the lab space at 4480 Clayton Avenue, Catherine Hoyt, PhD, OTD, OTR/L, and Maribeth Clifton, OTD, OTR/L, prepare to participate in a multi-site Phase III clinical trial called I-ACQUIRE. In this case, that preparation involves practicing using toys therapeutically for infants and toddlers who have experienced perinatal article stroke (PAS). The study aims to […]
The Institute for Public Health announces the appointment of Victor G. Dávila-Román, MD, as director of its Global Health Center. He was also named vice chair of global health in the Department of Medicine at the School of Medicine. Dávila-Román is professor of medicine in the cardiovascular division of the Department of Medicine, and a professor of […]
Meaghan Creed, PhD, assistant professor of anesthesiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received the 2021 Freedman Prize from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. The prize recognizes exceptional basic research in mental illness. Creed, an investigator in the Washington University Pain Center, studies how plasticity in the brain is altered in […]
The National Institute of Mental Health, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded James Fitzpatrick, PhD a $600,000 grant to purchase a Zeiss LSM 980 Airyscan 2 microscope platform for the Washington University Center for Cellular Imaging (WUCCI). The instrument will complement the existing optical microscopes at WUCCI by expanding super-resolution imaging to a […]
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has awarded Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis a five-year, $12.2 million grant to create a center aimed at advancing research into neurosteroids as treatments for depression and other psychiatric disorders. The new Silvio O. Conte Center for Basic Neuroscience Research will be one of only […]
“A limited number of slices yields comparable results to all slices in foot intrinsic muscle deterioration ratio on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging” (2021) Journal of Biomechanics A limited number of slices yields comparable results to all slices in foot intrinsic muscle deterioration ratio on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (2021) Journal of Biomechanics, 129, art. […]
People with rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder act out their dreams. While sleeping safely in bed, for example, they might throw up their arms to catch an imaginary ball or try to run from an illusory assailant. Such actions are more than just a nuisance. People with the disorder have a 50% to […]
Four scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have been awarded prestigious grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) aimed at supporting the researchers’ innovative and impactful biomedical and behavioral research. The grants are among a total of 106 such grants awarded to scientists recognized via the NIH Common Fund’s High-Risk, High-Reward […]
COVID-19’s global wrath began to intensify in early 2020, just as Washington University in St. Louis was scheduled to break ground on one of the most significant neuroscience research buildings in the U.S. and one of the most critical facilities projects in the history of the School of Medicine. However, as the virus shut down the university […]
“A limited number of slices yields comparable results to all slices in foot intrinsic muscle deterioration ratio on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging” (2021) Journal of Biomechanics A limited number of slices yields comparable results to all slices in foot intrinsic muscle deterioration ratio on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (2021) Journal of Biomechanics, 129, art. […]
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has received a $7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to help lead national efforts to investigate how variations in the human genome sequence affect how the genome functions. Such information is critical for understanding human health and seeking new ways to treat diseases. […]
Shiming Chen, PhD, professor of ophthalmology in the John F. Hardesty, MD, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Washington University School of Medicine, has received a 2021 Stein Innovation Award from Research to Prevent Blindness. The $300,000 award provides flexible funding to scientists engaged in research to improve the understanding of the visual system […]
“Is comprehensiveness critical? Comparing short and long format cognitive assessments in preclinical Alzheimer disease” (2021) Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy Is comprehensiveness critical? Comparing short and long format cognitive assessments in preclinical Alzheimer disease (2021) Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy, 13 (1), art. no. 153, . Hassenstab, J.a b , Nicosia, J.a , LaRose, M.a , Aschenbrenner, A.J.a , Gordon, B.A.b c , Benzinger, T.L.S.c , Xiong, C.a d , Morris, J.C.a a Charles F. and […]
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed an approach to estimating when a person who is likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, but has no cognitive symptoms, will start showing signs of Alzheimer’s dementia. The algorithm, available online in the journal Neurology, uses data from a kind of brain scan known […]
Jeffrey I. Gordon, MD, the Dr. Robert J. Glaser Distinguished University Professor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is a recipient of this year’s Balzan Prize for his role in founding the field of human gut microbiome research and revolutionizing the understanding of gut microbes and their roles in human health and disease. Each […]
“Striatal oxidative damages and neuroinflammation correlate with progression and survival of Lewy body and Alzheimer diseases” (2022) Neural Regeneration Research Striatal oxidative damages and neuroinflammation correlate with progression and survival of Lewy body and Alzheimer diseases (2022) Neural Regeneration Research, 17 (4), pp. 867-874. Li, H., Knight, W., Xu, J. Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, […]
Andrew Yoo, PhD, associate professor of developmental biology at the School of Medicine, has received a two-year $486,844 grant from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston for his project titled “Investigation of neurodegenerative pathways in directly reprogrammed, XDP patient neurons”; and a two-year $345,000 grant from the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund for his project titled “Neuronal subtype-specific modeling of Alzheimer’s […]
Sabin Nettles, a neuroscience PhD student in the laboratory of Dr. Harrison Gabel, is the recipient of the Pre-/ Post-Doctoral Next Generation Award from the Society for Neuroscience (SfN). The Next Generation Award recognizes SfN chapter members who have made outstanding contributions to public communication, outreach, and education about neuroscience through activities such as classroom […]
New methods to treat human brain disorders is one of the top priorities of the National Institutes of Health’s ambitious BRAIN Initiative. To find noninvasive tools that are equally or more effective is a kind of Holy Grail for neuroscience, and a biomedical engineer at Washington University in St. Louis has it in her sights. […]
“The mechanism of Annexin A1 to modulate TRPV1 and nociception in dorsal root ganglion neurons” (2021) Cell and Bioscience The mechanism of Annexin A1 to modulate TRPV1 and nociception in dorsal root ganglion neurons (2021) Cell and Bioscience, 11 (1), art. no. 167, . Zhang, Y.a b f , Ma, S.a b , Ke, X.a b , Yi, Y.a b , Yu, H.a b , Yu, D.a b , Li, Q.c , Shang, Y.b d , Lu, […]
Studies have determined that in-school transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19 is rare when masking, social distancing and other safety protocols are followed. However, little has been known about COVID-19 risks at school for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These students often are unable to mask or maintain social distancing and may have underlying […]
For many aging Americans, the dream of maintaining an active, independent lifestyle while living at home comes crashing down with a fall. Falls are the leading cause of injury, accidental death and premature placement in a nursing home among older adults in the United States. Now, new research from Washington University School of Medicine in […]
"A machine learning approach for the factorization of psychometric data with application to the Delis Kaplan Executive Function System" (2021) Scientific Reports A machine learning approach for the factorization of psychometric data with application to the Delis Kaplan Executive Function System(2021) Scientific Reports, 11 (1), art. no. 16896, . Camilleri, J.A.a b , Eickhoff, S.B.a b , Weis, S.a b , Chen, J.a b c , Amunts, J.a b , Sotiras, A.d , […]
Each year in the U.S., nearly 800,000 people have a stroke, which leads to more than $46 billion spent annually in health care and related costs. A powerhouse team of researchers at Washington University in St. Louis is collaborating to understand how the brain remodels after stroke with the goal of finding new therapeutic targets […]
“Basal ganglia shape features differentiate schizoaffective disorder from schizophrenia” (2021) Psychiatry Research – Neuroimaging Basal ganglia shape features differentiate schizoaffective disorder from schizophrenia (2021) Psychiatry Research – Neuroimaging, 317, art. no. 111352, . Cobia, D.a e , Rich, C.b , Smith, M.J.c , Mamah, D.d , Csernansky, J.G.e , Wang, L.e f g a Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Center, Brigham Young University, 1036 KMBL, Provo, UT 84602, United […]
Alphaviruses — mosquito-borne viruses that can trigger brain infections and arthritis — may have met their match. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified two antibodies that protect animals from disease caused by alphaviruses. The antibodies worked for every alphavirus tested, meaning they potentially could form the basis of treatments […]
The average person will undergo nine surgical procedures in his or her lifetime, and the periods before, during and after surgery are considered high risk regarding mental health, particularly among older adults. Depression and anxiety are especially common in older surgery patients; past research has demonstrated that about 40% of older surgical patients have mental […]
The WUSTL ENDURE program, which hosts the annual symposium, partners with groups across WashU and local institutions to attract top talent, provide training and mentorship opportunities, and improve the diversity of the neuroscience field. “What would happen if you lost your heart?” Ephraim Oyetunji, a rising junior studying neuroscience in the Department of Biology and […]
Should doctors take particular care to talk to patients about the potential dangers of COVID-19 if those patients have a problematic relationship with pot? New research from Washington University in St. Louis suggests perhaps they should. Diabetes, obesity and a history of smoking cigarettes are all considered risk factors for poorer COVID-19 outcomes. Warnings and […]
“Long range synchronization within the enteric nervous system underlies propulsion along the large intestine in mice” (2021) Communications Biology Long range synchronization within the enteric nervous system underlies propulsion along the large intestine in mice (2021) Communications Biology, 4 (1), art. no. 955, . Spencer, N.J.a , Travis, L.a , Wiklendt, L.b , Costa, M.a , Hibberd, T.J.a , Brookes, S.J.a , Dinning, P.b , Hu, H.c , Wattchow, […]
Precision medicine considers each person’s unique genetic makeup, lifestyle and environment when considering treatments for illness and disease. A team of Washington University in St. Louis researchers is taking steps toward developing precision medicine for patients with irregular heartbeats by studying how two anti-arrhythmic drugs affect different parts of the heart. Jeanne Nerbonne, PhD, professor […]
Children in poverty are more likely to have cognitive and behavioral difficulties than their better-off peers. Plenty of past research has looked into the physical effects of childhood poverty, or documented mental health disparities between socioeconomic classes. But Deanna Barch, chair and professor in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences in Arts & Sciences at […]
More than 50,000 surgical patients undergo general anesthesia every day in the United States, but clinicians and scientists lack evidence indicating which types of anesthesia drugs result in the best outcomes for patients. A new study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Michigan will compare […]
More than half of the survivors of West Nile virus brain infections are left with memory disorders that make everyday tasks such as remembering the route from home to work challenging. Similar issues can arise in the aftermath of other viral infections, such as the “brain fog” that plagues some people after a diagnosis of […]
Yong Wang, PhD, an associate professor of obstetrics & gynecology and of radiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received a 2021 Next Gen Pregnancy Research Grant from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to biomedical science through research and education. Wang, also an associate professor of electrical […]
"Chronic neuroleptic treatment combined with a high fat diet elevated (3H) flunitrazepam binding in the cerebellum (2022) Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry Chronic neuroleptic treatment combined with a high fat diet elevated [3H] flunitrazepam binding in the cerebellum(2022) Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 112, art. no. 110407, . Richardson, B.a b , Swenson, S.a , Hamilton, J.a b , Leonard, K.c , Delis, F.d , […]
Robert Schmidt, MD, PhD, a professor of pathology & immunology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received the Meritorious Contributions to Neuropathology Award from the American Association of Neuropathologists. The award recognizes Schmidt’s contributions to the advancement of knowledge of diseases that affect the nervous system. For more than 30 years, […]
The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) has announced the winners of its 2021 Klerman and Freedman Prizes, which recognize exceptional clinical and basic research in mental illness. The prizes are awarded annually to honor the work of outstanding scientists who have been supported by the Foundation’s Young Investigator Grants Program. “The Klerman and Freedman prizes […]
“Gene therapy for aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase deficiency by MR-guided direct delivery of AAV2-AADC to midbrain dopaminergic neurons” (2021) Nature Communications Gene therapy for aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase deficiency by MR-guided direct delivery of AAV2-AADC to midbrain dopaminergic neurons (2021) Nature Communications, 12 (1), art. no. 4251, . Pearson, T.S.a b , Gupta, N.a , San Sebastian, W.a , Imamura-Ching, J.a , Viehoever, A.c , Grijalvo-Perez, A.c , […]
When a patient is informed of a brain tumor, the experience is frightening. “When anyone finds out they have a brain tumor. It is super scary,” described neurosurgeon and scientist Dr. Albert Kim, MD, PhD, the inaugural director of the new Brain Tumor Center at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes Jewish Hospital and Washington University […]
“A single-cell guide to retinal development: Cell fate decisions of multipotent retinal progenitors in scRNA-seq” (2021) Developmental Biology A single-cell guide to retinal development: Cell fate decisions of multipotent retinal progenitors in scRNA-seq (2021) Developmental Biology, 478, pp. 41-58. Shiau, F.a , Ruzycki, P.A.a , Clark, B.S.a b a John F Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of […]