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.
Helen McNeill, PhD, a world leader in developmental biology and a BJC Investigator at the School of Medicine, has been named the inaugural Larry J. Shapiro and Carol-Ann Uetake-Shapiro Professor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. McNeill was installed by then-Washington University Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton and David H. Perlmutter, MD, executive […]
“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, […]
Dear Colleagues, I am pleased to announce that Dr. Cindy Brantmeier has been selected to serve as the first Faculty Fellow in International Research for the School of Medicine and Danforth Campus. The Faculty Fellow in International Research will advise faculty on conducting international research and achieving effective collaborations with international partners that are compliant […]
Researchers expect this massive endeavor, receiving $30 million in federal funding per year, will transform our understanding of brain development. Neuroscientists are positively giddy about ABCD, and for good reason: It is larger and more racially and socioeconomically diverse than any comparable study to date. “We’re going to be working with this dataset for decades,” […]
“Diffusion Tensor Model links to Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging at high b-value in Cerebral Cortical Gray Matter” (2019) Scientific Reports Diffusion Tensor Model links to Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging at high b-value in Cerebral Cortical Gray Matter (2019) Scientific Reports, 9 (1), art. no. 12246, . Fukutomi, H.a b , Glasser, M.F.c d , Murata, K.e , […]
As they grow and develop, children who were born at least 10 weeks before their due dates are at risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder and anxiety disorders. They also have a higher risk than children who were full-term babies for other neurodevelopmental issues, including cognitive problems, language difficulties and motor delays. Researchers […]
"Differential neural dynamics underling pragmatic and semantic affordance processing in macaque ventral premotor cortex" (2019) Scientific Reports Differential neural dynamics underling pragmatic and semantic affordance processing in macaque ventral premotor cortex(2019) Scientific Reports, 9 (1), art. no. 11700, . Maranesi, M.a , Bruni, S.a b , Livi, A.a c , Donnarumma, F.d , Pezzulo, G.d , Bonini, L.a a Department of Medicine […]
Kristen Kroll, associate professor of developmental biology at the School of Medicine, has received a one-year, $150,000 grant from the Undiagnosed Diseases Network for her project titled “Using human pluripotent stem cell models to evaluate pathogenicity and define disease mechanisms for ZNF292 variant found in UDN373964.” Read more.
For years, doctors have used an expensive brain scan to detect symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. But researchers at Washington University have found that a simple blood test could be similarly effective, according to a study published this month in the journal Neurology. A blood test to diagnose early symptoms could help make finding a cure […]
An international team of researchers led by scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has identified a pair of genes that influence risk for both late-onset and early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Most genes implicated thus far in Alzheimer’s affect neurons that transmit messages, allowing different regions of the brain to communicate with one […]
“Sleep disturbances in Wolfram syndrome” (2019) Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases Sleep disturbances in Wolfram syndrome (2019) Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases, 14 (1), art. no. 188, . Licis, A.a , Davis, G.d e , Eisenstein, S.A.b c , Lugar, H.M.b , Hershey, T.a b c a Department of Neurology, Washington University, School of Medicine, Campus Box 8111, 660 South Euclid Ave, […]
Among the human body’s many maladies, few have stumped medical researchers like those that decimate the brain. After decades of effort, effectively treating—let alone curing—neurodegenerative disorders such as Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s disease has been a source of frustration for many, as old theories are questioned and clinical trials fail. Basic scientists have achieved some progress. […]
“Genetic variation across RNA metabolism and cell death gene networks is implicated in the semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia” (2019) Scientific Reports Genetic variation across RNA metabolism and cell death gene networks is implicated in the semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia (2019) Scientific Reports, 9 (1), art. no. 10854, . Bonham, L.W.a b , Steele, N.Z.R.a , Karch, C.M.c […]
Why do some people give up easily and others do not? A common leadership ability among extraordinary achievers—such as CEOs, inventors, astronauts, best-selling authors, successful artists and musicians, popular comedians, media stars, trail-blazing entrepreneurs, ace pilots, Nobel prize winning scientists, and professional athletes—is persistence and motivation—the ability to go the extra mile and not give up easily. Is […]
Up to two decades before people develop the characteristic memory loss and confusion of Alzheimer’s disease, damaging clumps of protein start to build up in their brains. Now, a blood test to detect such early brain changes has moved one step closer to clinical use. Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis […]
“A comparison of buprenorphine and psychosocial treatment outcomes in psychosocial and medical settings” (2019) Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment A comparison of buprenorphine and psychosocial treatment outcomes in psychosocial and medical settings (2019) Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 104, pp. 135-143. Presnall, N.J.a b , Wolf, D.A.P.S.a , Brown, D.S.a , Beeler-Stinn, S.a , Grucza, R.A.b a Brown School of […]
For decades, researchers have sought a blood test for beta amyloid, the protein that is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Several groups and companies have made progress, and on Thursday, scientists at Washington University in St. Louis reported that they had devised the most sensitive blood test yet. The test will not be available for […]
Joseph P. Culver, PhD, a professor of radiology recognized for helping develop optical neuroimaging technologies to map brain function in humans and animals, has been named the inaugural Sherwood Moore Professor of Radiology. Based at the university’s Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology (MIR), Culver’s lab is notable for advancing diffuse optical tomography (DOT), a technology that uses light […]
Douglas F. Covey, PhD, a leader in the development of a new class of drugs — neurosteroids — to treat mental illness, has been installed as the inaugural Andrew C. and Barbara B. Taylor Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The professorship was established through a gift from […]
ST. LOUIS — Emily Bejerano, who has worn glasses since before she can remember, was diagnosed at age 5 with insulin-dependent diabetes. Two years later, a doctor linked her vision troubles and diabetes symptoms to diagnose her with Wolfram syndrome, a rare genetic disease that affects only one in every 500,000 people worldwide. “You see […]
Noted virologist Sean Whelan, PhD, has been named head of the Department of Molecular Microbiology and the Marvin A. Brennecke Distinguished Professor of Microbiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He studies how deadly viruses such as Ebola and rabies enter cells and multiply, a key step to finding targets for new […]
Fifty years ago today the Stonewall uprising began in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village. In the 1960s, as in preceding decades, police commonly raided bars that catered to gay and lesbian clientele on the pretext of liquor license violations. This was the case at Stonewall when officers […]
“CRISPR/Cas9 mediated generation of an ovine model for infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (CLN1 disease)” (2019) Scientific Reports CRISPR/Cas9 mediated generation of an ovine model for infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (CLN1 disease) (2019) Scientific Reports, 9 (1), art. no. 9891, . Eaton, S.L.a , Proudfoot, C.a , Lillico, S.G.a , Skehel, P.b c , Kline, R.A.a , Hamer, K.e , Rzechorzek, N.M.d […]
Shortly before 2 p.m. on a Monday, a group of writers, doctors and marketing gurus has convened in a North Building conference room to discuss putting on a play. One of the production’s star performers arrives. Eric C. Leuthardt, MD, sits down and guides the group through details about the play, a four-part theatrical production […]
When children suffer from severe malnourishment, they don’t just lose weight. The condition wreaks havoc on biological systems throughout the body — including the microbiome, the healthy bacteria and other microbes that live in our digestive tracts. Those bacteria number in the trillions in every person and include hundreds of different species. They’re essential for […]
A new type of therapeutic food, specifically designed to repair the gut microbiomes of malnourished children, is superior to standard therapy in an initial clinical trial conducted in Bangladesh. An interdisciplinary team of investigators from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research in Dhaka, Bangladesh, have […]
Dear Faculty, Staff and Students: I am so pleased to announce that Professor Sean Whelan has accepted the position of head of the Department of Molecular Microbiology, effective January 1, 2020. Sean is currently Professor of Microbiology, Chair of the Program in Virology and Director of a Center of Excellence in Translational Research at Harvard […]
Anne H. Cross, MD, the Manny and Rosalyn Rosenthal and Dr. John L. Trotter MS Center Chair in Neuroimmunology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received the John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the American Academy of Neurology. The award recognizes outstanding contributions […]
Pediatric neurosurgeon David D. Limbrick Jr., MD, PhD, a professor of neurosurgery and of pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been named the T.S. Park, MD, Chair in Pediatric Neurosurgery at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. The honor, bestowed by St. Louis Children’s through a gift from an anonymous donor, recognizes Limbrick’s expertise in […]
Brooke Sadler, a postdoctoral researcher at the School of Medicine and daughter of the late hematologist J. Evan Sadler, writes a poignant first-person article in the journal Neurology about how her family of scientists dealt with her father’s diagnosis last year of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The School of Medicine professor died in December. Read more.
Two nationally renowned neurosurgeons at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis will present “BrainWorks,” a live theatrical performance that explores the wonders of the human brain by dramatizing real-life neurological cases. The performance, comprised of four one-act plays, will debut July 19-21 at the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts at Webster University. Albert Kim, […]
“A longitudinal study of neurocognition and behavior in patients with Hurler-Scheie syndrome heterozygous for the L238Q mutation” (2019) Molecular Genetics and Metabolism Reports A longitudinal study of neurocognition and behavior in patients with Hurler-Scheie syndrome heterozygous for the L238Q mutation (2019) Molecular Genetics and Metabolism Reports, 20, art. no. 100484, . Ahmed, A.a , Ou, L.b , Rudser, K.c , […]
Meaghan Creed, PhD, and Jordan McCall, PhD, both assistant professors in anesthesiology, have been named to the 2019 class of Rita Allen Foundation Scholars. The foundation chose 10 young leaders whose research in biomedical sciences holds promise for revealing new pathways to advance human health. Each scholar receives a grant of up to $110,000 annually […]
“Integrated analysis of environmental and genetic influences on cord blood DNA methylation in new-borns” (2019) Nature Communications Integrated analysis of environmental and genetic influences on cord blood DNA methylation in new-borns (2019) Nature Communications, 10 (1), art. no. 2548, . Czamara, D.a , Eraslan, G.b c , Page, C.M.d e , Lahti, J.f g , Lahti-Pulkkinen, M.f h , Hämäläinen, E.i […]
Years before symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease appear, two kinds of damaging proteins silently collect in the brain: amyloid beta and tau. Clumps of amyloid accumulate first, but tau is particularly noxious. Wherever tangles of the tau protein appear, brain tissue dies, triggering the confusion and memory loss that are hallmarks of Alzheimer’s. Now, researchers at […]
At least 20 percent of elementary school-age children develop tics such as excessive blinking, throat clearing or sniffing, but for most of those kids, the tics don’t become a long-term problem. Conventional wisdom has held that most tics go away on their own and that only in rare cases do they become chronic or develop into […]
“High-fidelity mapping of repetition-related changes in the parietal memory network” (2019) NeuroImage High-fidelity mapping of repetition-related changes in the parietal memory network (2019) NeuroImage, 199, pp. 427-439. Gilmore, A.W.a , Nelson, S.M.h i j , Laumann, T.O.b c , Gordon, E.M.h i , Berg, J.J.a , Greene, D.J.c d , Gratton, C.b , Nguyen, A.L.b , Ortega, M.b , […]
Amanda F. Cashen, MD, an associate professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been named executive chair of the university’s Institutional Review Board (IRB), the multidisciplinary group that reviews and approves protocols for research studies that involve human subjects. The group is responsible for protecting the rights and welfare of […]
“A synthesis strategy for tetracyclic terpenoids leads to agonists of ERβ” (2019) Nature Communications A synthesis strategy for tetracyclic terpenoids leads to agonists of ERβ (2019) Nature Communications, 10 (1), art. no. 2448, . Kim, W.S.a , Shalit, Z.A.a , Nguyen, S.M.b , Schoepke, E.c , Eastman, A.d , Burris, T.P.c , Gaur, A.B.b , Micalizio, G.C.a a Dartmouth College, Department of […]
Hong Chen, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering and of radiation oncology at the School of Medicine, received a $470,500 research grant from the Office of Naval Research to detect traumatic brain injury (TBI) using ultrasound sensors. This research represents just one arm of a multi-faceted approach in the Chen […]
Rajan Chakrabarty, Fangqiong Ling, Chuan Wang, and Patty Weisensee, all assistant professors in the McKelvey School of Engineering, have been awarded $25,000 Collaboration Initiation Grants from the school. The program awards one-year grants to projects that facilitate collaborative research outside of and within McKelvey Engineering departments for tenure-track faculty. The grants are a pathway for […]
Scientists who dosed old mice with an enzyme from the blood of young mice say it extended their lives by 16 percent, as well as making them look younger. Treating the older mice with an enzyme from the blood of younger mice appeared to slow processes linked to aging, according to the authors of the […]
New research has identified a novel approach to staving off the detrimental effects of aging, according to a study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The study suggests that a protein that is abundant in the blood of young mice plays a vital role in keeping mice healthy. With age, levels of […]
Holden Thorp, provost at Washington University in St. Louis, will leave his position effective July 15, according to Chancellor Andrew D. Martin. Thorp, who has served in his current role since 2013, plans to take a one-year sabbatical and then return to the university in a newly created leadership role in the drug discovery and […]