"CXCR4 involvement in neurodegenerative diseases" (2018) Translational Psychiatry CXCR4 involvement in neurodegenerative diseases (2018) Translational Psychiatry, 8 (1), art. no. 73, . Bonham, L.W.a , Karch, C.M.b , Fan, C.C.c , Tan, C.d , Geier, E.G.a , Wang, Y.e , Wen, N.b , Broce, I.J.d , Li, Y.d , Barkovich, M.J.d , Ferrari, R.f , Hardy, J.f , Momeni, P.g , […]
Category: School of Medicine
Gereau chosen for Pain Society fellowship
Program focuses on communication, advocacy for pain care From the WashU Newsroom… Robert W. Gereau IV, PhD, the Dr. Seymour and Rose T. Brown Professor of Anesthesiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is one of 12 pain experts selected for the 2018-19 Mayday Pain & Society Fellowship. Gereau — who is […]
Solving the Alzheimer’s Disease Therapy Drought
From MD Magazine… In just a short decade of Gregory Day’s young career, the US multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy market has exploded from just a handful options to 17 US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved agents for multiple mechanisms. Day, MD, MSc, assistant professor, Washington University School of Medicine, Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center, St. […]
Neurosurgeon Eric Leuthardt: ‘An interface between mind and machine will happen’
The US researcher – and sci-fi author – on how brain implants will drive the next turning point in human evolution From The Guardian… Dr Eric C Leuthardt, 45, is a neurosurgeon at Washington University in St Louis. He is also the co-founder of NeuroLutions, a research laboratory developing direct interfaces between mind and computer. Leuthardt […]
Using tooth sensors to detect disease
Collaborative research team developing biological sensors that would analyze saliva, send information electronically to doctors From the WashU Newsroom… An interdisciplinary team of researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the School of Engineering & Applied Science is redefining the notion of a wisdom tooth. The team is developing a smart-tooth […]
Defect in debilitating neurodegenerative disease reversed in mouse nerves
Drug compound may help against Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease From the WashU Newsroom… Scientists have developed a new drug compound that shows promise as a future treatment for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, an inherited, often painful neurodegenerative condition that affects nerves in the hands, arms, feet and legs. The researchers used the compound to treat the nerves of mice […]
Bowen, Perlmutter elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
From the WashU Newsroom… Washington University in St. Louis sociocultural anthropologist John R. Bowen and David H. Perlmutter, MD, dean of the School of Medicine, join the likes of President Barack Obama, actor Tom Hanks and Supreme Court Justice Sonia M. Sotomayor as newly elected members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the academy announced April 18. […]
Brain scans may help diagnose neurological, psychiatric disorders
Study shows that brain networks reliably track individuals over time From the WashU Newsroom… There are no laboratory tests to diagnose migraines, depression, bipolar disorder and many other ailments of the brain. Doctors typically gauge such illnesses based on self-reported symptoms and behavior. Now, a new study shows that a kind of brain scan called […]
Grad students Karney-Grobe, Cammack receive 2018 Hope Center Awards
Each year, the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders recognizes investigators who are early in their training and whose work best fulfills the mission of the Hope Center: To improve the lives of people living with neurological disorders, through collaborative research that aims to discover fundamental mechanisms of neurodegeneration and repair, and translate that new understanding into […]
Text messaging tool may help fight opioid epidemic
Digital technology may aid patients at risk of relapsing From the WashU Newsroom… A new automated text messaging service may curb opioid abuse and reduce the likelihood of relapse while also decreasing treatment costs, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine and Epharmix, a St. Louis-based digital health company. The service provides automated text […]
New clues point to relief for chronic itching
Targeting an opioid receptor calms itch From the WashU Newsroom… A common side effect of opioids is intense itching — a problem for some patients who need the drugs for pain relief and for others fighting addiction. Now, studying mice, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that a drug called […]
Achilefu, Elgin to receive 2018 faculty achievement awards
Frazier to be honored for innovation and entrepreneurship From the WashU Newsroom… Samuel I. Achilefu and Sarah C.R. Elgin will receive Washington University in St. Louis’ 2018 faculty achievement awards, Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton announced. Achilefu, the Michel M. Ter-Pogossian Professor of Radiology at the School of Medicine, will receive the Carl and Gerty Cori Faculty Achievement Award. Elgin, […]
WashU weekly Neuroscience publications
"Distinct phase-amplitude couplings distinguish cognitive processes in human attention" (2018) NeuroImage Distinct phase-amplitude couplings distinguish cognitive processes in human attention (2018) NeuroImage, 175, pp. 111-121. Chacko, R.V., Kim, B., Jung, S.W., Daitch, A.L., Roland, J.L., Metcalf, N.V., Corbetta, M., Shulman, G.L., Leuthardt, E.C. Abstract Spatial attention is the cognitive function that coordinates the selection of visual stimuli with appropriate […]
ALS, rare dementia share genetic link
Findings point to potential treatment strategy for both disorders From the WashU Newsroom… Nearly half of all patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neuromuscular disorder, develop cognitive problems that affect memory and thinking. Why a disease that primarily affects movement also disrupts thinking has been unclear. But now, an international team of researchers has […]
Macular degeneration linked to aging immune cells
Older cells promote inflammation, abnormal blood vessel growth that can lead to blindness From the WashU Newsroom… As people age, their immune systems age, too. And new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that aging immune cells increase the risk for age-related macular degeneration, a major cause of blindness in the […]
Board of Trustees grants faculty appointments, promotions
From the WashU Newsroom… At the Washington University in St. Louis Board of Trustees meeting March 2, the following faculty members were appointed with tenure, promoted with tenure or granted tenure, effective July 1 unless otherwise noted. Appointment with tenure Cynthia Feliciano as professor of sociology in Arts & Sciences (effective at the beginning of employment); […]
WashU weekly Neuroscience publications
"The choroid plexus is an important circadian clock component" (2018) Nature Communications The choroid plexus is an important circadian clock component (2018) Nature Communications, 9 (1), art. no. 1062, . Myung, J.a b c d e , Schmal, C.f , Hong, S.b , Tsukizawa, Y.g , Rose, P.f , Zhang, Y.h , Holtzman, M.J.h , De Schutter, E.b , Herzel, H.f […]
Slow, steady waves keep brain humming
Such rhythmic waves linked to state of consciousness From the WashU Newsroom… If you keep a close eye on an MRI scan of the brain, you’ll see a wave pass through the entire brain like a heartbeat once every few seconds. This ultra-slow rhythm was recognized decades ago, but no one quite knew what to […]
Antibiotic use increases risk of severe viral disease in mice
Killing gut bacteria with drugs weakens immune response From the WashU Newsroom… People infected with West Nile virus can show a wide range of disease. Some develop life-threatening brain infections. Others show no signs of infection at all. One reason for the different outcomes may lie in the community of microbes that populate their intestinal […]
Dacey receives inaugural international award named in his honor
Research award pays tribute to neurosurgeon’s spirit, accomplishments From the WashU Newsroom… Adding to the many honors Ralph G. Dacey Jr., MD, has received over his career, the neurosurgeon is now the namesake for an award that pays tribute to his spirit and accomplishments in the area of cerebrovascular research, his myriad contributions to neurosurgery, […]
Antibody removes Alzheimer’s plaques, in mice
From the WashU Newsroom… Years before people start showing characteristic symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, sticky plaques begin forming in their brains, damaging nearby cells. For decades, doctors have sought ways to clear out these plaques as a way to prevent or treat the disease. The sticky clumps, known as amyloid plaques, are composed primarily of a […]
Wash U researchers hope to train the brain how to smell again
From STL Public Radio… Two years ago, Joe Weissmann lost something many take for granted: his sense of smell. “I still eat, but I don’t enjoy it near as much, because I can’t taste any food or have any sensation of smell,” said Weissmann, a lifelong St. Louis resident and retired sheet metal worker. Still, […]
Link between 2 key Alzheimer’s proteins explained
Targeting tau production may lead to treatment From the WashU Newsroom… It’s a paradox of Alzheimer’s disease: Plaques of the sticky protein amyloid beta are the most characteristic sign in the brain of the deadly neurodegenerative disease. However, many older people have such plaques in their brains but do not have dementia. The memory loss […]
2018 Distinguished Faculty, Goldstein honors awarded
Medical school faculty honored for dedication, talent, achievements From the WashU School of Medicine Newsroom… Each year, Washington University School of Medicine faculty members nominate their peers for Distinguished Faculty Awards, to recognize their colleagues’ wide-ranging achievements, talents and dedication. The recipients, recognized for excellence in clinical care, community service, research and teaching, received the awards […]
Bruchas is Inaugural Recipient of MINS Rising Star Award
From Penn Medicine News… The Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences (MINS) at the University of Pennsylvania announced that Michael R. Bruchas, PhD, the Henry E. Mallinckrodt Professor in the departments of Anesthesiology and Neuroscience at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, is the recipient of the inaugural Rising Star Award in neuroscience research. To highlight […]
The cell doctrine of brain function, as seen in three illustrated books, 1491-1543
From the WashU Becker Medical Library… We believe the earliest illustrations of the brain that can be found at Becker Library are in two books in from the 1490s: “Fasciculus medicinae, 1491” (facsimile 1988) and “Philosophia Pauperum (Philosophy for the simple),” 1496. In these books, as well as in “Margarita Philosophica” by Gregor Reisch, 1508, in Olin Library special […]
3-D mapping babies’ brains
Examining brain folds — as unique to an individual as fingerprints — could hold key to new diagnostic tools From the WashU Newsroom… During the third trimester, a baby’s brain undergoes rapid development in utero. The cerebral cortex dramatically expands its surface area and begins to fold. Previous work suggests that this quick and very vital […]
Grad students Hoye, Kaufman awarded 2018 O’Leary Prize
Congratulations to the 2018 winners of the James L. O’Leary Prize for Excellence in Neuroscience Research! Mariah Hoye, Graduate student in the Biochemistry Program; lab of Timothy Miller Sarah Kaufman, MD/PhD student in the Neuroscience Program; lab of Marc Diamond Winners were selected based on presentations by graduate student and post doc finalists at the March […]
‘Future we only dreamed of’
A renowned surgeon is restoring mobility in children with cerebral palsy From WashU’s Outlook Magazine… As a baby, Alexa Reed seemed to be hitting all her developmental milestones. When it came time to walk, however, she started having trouble. Her right foot turned inward and she had a tendency to rise up on her tiptoes. “For […]
Can Brain Activity in Infants Predict Psychiatric Disorders?
Neuroimaging may predict risk for depressive and anxiety symptoms in children. From Psychology Today… Young children can demonstrate behaviors predictive of depressive and anxiety disorders. These behaviors correlate with activity in certain brain areas, including the amygdala, a region known to be involved in emotional regulation. It is possible to measure functional connectivity between the amygdala […]
Robyn Klein, others, win LEAP Inventor Challenge Awards
Five Washington University in St. Louis research teams have been selected to receive funding as part of the Fall 2017 cycle of the Leadership in Entrepreneurial Acceleration Program, better known as the LEAP Inventor Challenge (LEAP). From the WashU Newsroom… LEAP exists to propel Washington University intellectual property towards commercialization. The money that teams win helps fund […]
Washington People: Michael S. Avidan
Anesthesiologist works to improve outcomes for patients during and after surgery From the WashU Newsroom… Michael Avidan and his colleagues sit in a windowless room in front of a panel of screens tapped into every operating room at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. It’s conceptually similar to an air traffic control tower, except they aren’t tracking airplanes. Relying on […]
Other viruses cause Zika-like damage to fetuses, study finds
From the CNN Newsroom… (CNN) — In 2016, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that the Zika virus caused birth defects in babies born to women who had been infected while pregnant. This was the first mosquito-borne disease known to cause birth defects. Since then, images of babies with underdeveloped heads, born to pregnant women […]
Cancer weapon
Zika virus kills glioblastoma stem cells in early research From WashU’s Outlook Magazine… While Zika virus causes devastating damage to the brains of developing fetuses, it one day may be an effective treatment for glioblastoma, a deadly form of brain cancer. New research from Washington University School of Medicine and the University of California San […]
Altering Huntington’s disease patients’ skin cells into brain cells sheds light on disorder
Reprogrammed brain cells exhibit ‘symptoms’ of fatal disease From the WashU Newsroom… Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have transformed skin cells from patients with Huntington’s disease into the type of brain cell affected by the disorder. The resulting mass of neurons serves as a new tool to study the degenerative and […]
PhD in imaging science launched
School of Engineering & Applied Science to offer unique degree From the WashU Newsroom… The field of imaging science — marked by rapidly changing and improving technology — plays a critical role in applications ranging from cancer diagnosis to virtual reality. With the aim of training the next leaders in imaging, the School of Engineering & […]
Stroke recovery improved by sensory deprivation, mouse study shows
Trimming animals’ whiskers activates brain to rewire damaged circuits after stroke From the WashU Newsroom… Temporarily shutting off neuronal signals to a healthy part of the brain may aid stroke recovery, according to new research in mice. The findings, from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, are published Jan. 31 in Science […]
Body clock disruptions occur years before memory loss in Alzheimer’s
Findings could help ID risk of disease earlier From the WashU Newsroom… People with Alzheimer’s disease are known to have disturbances in their internal body clocks that affect the sleep/wake cycle and may increase risk of developing the disorder. Now, new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that such circadian rhythm […]
Holy named Wolff Professor of Neuroscience
Recognized for illuminating neural circuits underlying behavior From the WashU Newsroom… Timothy E. Holy, PhD, has been named the inaugural Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Professor of Neuroscience at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. His research has provided valuable insight into how chemical cues are used for social communication. He was installed […]
Major Alzheimer’s study aims to predict who will develop the disease
$10.3 million also funds efforts to establish disease timeline From the WashU Newsroom… Adults with an aging parent diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease are at elevated risk of developing the disease themselves. But doctors still don’t know enough yet to predict which of these adult children will go on to develop Alzheimer’s. Nor can they predict at […]
Memory loss from West Nile virus may be preventable
Study in mice paves way to treatments From the WashU Newsroom… More than 10,000 people in the United States are living with memory loss and other persistent neurological problems that occur after West Nile virus infects the brain. Now, a new study in mice suggests that such ongoing neurological deficits may be due to unresolved inflammation […]
Lack of sleep boosts levels of Alzheimer’s proteins
Study shows sleepless night taxes brain’s waste-disposal abilities From the WashU Newsroom… Have you resolved to take better care of yourself in the new year? Here’s a relatively painless way to do it: Catch a few more zzz’s every night. A third of American adults don’t get enough sleep, according to the Centers for Disease Control […]
Mental Health Issues Can Affect Children As Young As Three
From Fix.com… According to the Centers for Disease Control, around 12 million children and teens are not receiving the mental health treatment they need. Mental health disorders like depression often hit people in early adulthood, but now a new report on NBC News explains that serious mental and emotional problems can begin with children as young […]
Van Essen receives Glass Brain Award
Recognized for lifetime achievement in mapping brain connections From the WashU Newsroom… David C. Van Essen, PhD, the Alumni Endowed Professor of Neuroscience at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received the 2017 Glass Brain Award from the Organization of Human Brain Mapping. The award recognizes lifetime achievement in using neuroimaging to advance […]
Gordon receives Sanofi-Institut Pasteur Award
Scientist honored for role in founding, leading field of gut microbiome research Jeffrey I. Gordon, MD, a world-renowned scientist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received the Sanofi-Institut Pasteur International Award for his role in founding and leading the field of gut microbiome research. Together with talented students and colleagues, Gordon’s […]
Medical School faculty named to National Academy of Inventors
Achilefu, Holtzman, Leuthardt honored for innovation From the WashU Newsroom… Noted innovators Samuel Achilefu, PhD, David Holtzman, MD, and Eric Leuthardt, MD – faculty members at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis – have been named fellows of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). The 2017 class of NAI fellows was announced Tuesday. They are recognized as fellows […]
Generation at risk: America’s youngest facing mental health crisis
From the NBC Newsroom… Alex Crotty was just 11 when things started feeling wrong. It wasn’t just a matter of being unhappy. She always felt empty and miserable — never content or connected to other children. For years, she suffered alone, filled with shame. She switched schools, but that didn’t help. “I didn’t feel unloved. […]
Brain networks that help babies learn to walk ID’d
Autism risk, walking linked via brain connections From the WashU Newsroom… Scientists have identified brain networks involved in a baby’s learning to walk — a discovery that eventually may help predict whether infants are at risk for autism. The findings build on previous research that has shown that babies who have delays in developing skills involved […]
Alzheimer’s damage in mice reduced with compound that targets APOE gene
APOE is major Alzheimer’s risk gene From the WashU Newsroom… People who carry the APOE4 genetic variant face a substantial risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a compound that targets the APOE protein in the brains of mice and protects against damage induced by […]
On KPLR 11: Washington University research into brain development; local Rhodes Scholars
(Video) From KPLR 11’s The Pulse of St. Louis Researchers [Drs. Cynthia Rogers and Chad Sylvester] at Washington University are conducting a study that focuses on brain development and anxiety disorders, including social anxiety. Learn about what scientists are doing to develop treatments to help children impacted by the conditions. Watch the conversation!