In humans and other animals, signals from a central circadian clock in the brain generate the seasonal and daily rhythms of life. They help the body to prepare for expected changes in the environment and also optimize when to sleep, eat and do other daily activities. Scientists at Washington University in St. Louis are working […]
Glioblastoma is an aggressive brain cancer that has no cure. A recent chart study of patients with glioblastoma found that taking chemotherapy in the morning was associated with a three- to six-month increase in median survival. Now a study from Washington University in St. Louis reports that glioblastoma cells have built-in circadian rhythms that create better […]
Osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease, limits the mobility of 32 million people nationwide, many to the point of significant disability. Affected individuals face limited options, as there are no drugs to cure or substantially lessen the disease, and invasive joint replacement is often the only option when it reaches its later stages. With the goal […]
More than 60 high school students representing 32 schools conducted experiments, explored careers in neuroscience and tested their knowledge of the human brain and the nervous system at the 14th annual St. Louis Area Brain Bee March 2 at Washington University in St. Louis. “Neuroscience isn’t part of the standard high school curriculum, but every year we […]
Each year, the Department of Biology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis awards a prize to a graduating senior in memory of Marion Smith Spector, a 1938 graduate who studied zoology under the late Viktor Hamburger. The Spector Prize, first awarded in 1974, recognizes academic excellence and outstanding undergraduate achievement in […]
Washington University in St. Louis welcomed 54 students from the St. Louis region Feb. 25 for the first in-person St. Louis Area Brain Bee since the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants answered questions about the nervous system, brain structure, cognitive disorders and other topics in neuroscience. Sanjay Adireddi of Ladue Horton Watkins High School won this year’s competition and […]
Erik Herzog, PhD, a professor of biology, was installed Oct. 18 as the Viktor Hamburger Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. The program included welcoming remarks by Feng Sheng Hu, dean of Arts & Sciences and the Lucille P. Markey Distinguished Professor; an introduction by Jonathan Losos, the William H. […]
The U.S. Senate passed a bill last week that would make daylight saving time permanent. If it gains full congressional approval, the change would take place in fall 2023 and would keep evenings lighter year-round, eliminating the seasonal adjustments of springing forward and falling back to move in and out of standard time. Many rejoiced. […]
About 50 high school students from across St. Louis region gathered virtually Feb. 26 to test their knowledge of the brain and to learn about neuroscience research and careers at the St. Louis Area Brain Bee, an annual event hosted by Washington University in St. Louis. “We were thrilled to have such a diverse, motivated group […]
Circadian rhythms are physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour cycle. Research from Washington University in St. Louis will test how these daily patterns are set and maintained through the coordinated activity of certain neurons and hormones. The five-year $1.98 million project relies on new high-throughput machine learning techniques to determine the roles […]
Eight faculty members at Washington University in St. Louis are among 564 new fellows selected by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals. Arts & Sciences’ Leonard Green, PhD, Elizabeth S. Haswell, PhD, Sophia E. Hayes, PhD, Erik Herzog, PhD, Mark A. McDaniel, PhD, Jay W. Ponder, PhD and Crickette […]
Change is upon us once again. Come the first Sunday of November, we will gain an hour of morning sunlight. The one-hour adjustment to the clock on the wall may not sound dramatic. But our biological clock begs to differ. Take, for example, the members of society blissfully unaware of social time: our youngest children […]
For humans and animals, many aspects of normal behavior and physiology rely on the proper functioning of the body’s circadian clocks. Here’s how it’s supposed to work: Your brain sends signals to your body to release different hormones at certain times of the day. For example, you get a boost of the hormone cortisol — nature’s […]
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 […]
An aggressive type of brain cancer, glioblastoma has no cure. Patients survive an average of 15 months after diagnosis, with fewer than 10% of patients surviving longer than five years. While researchers are investigating potential new therapies via ongoing clinical trials, a new study from Washington University in St. Louis suggests that a minor adjustment […]
This weekend, weary Halloween revelers across the U.S. will dutifully set their clocks to “fall back” — signaling the end of daylight saving time for 2020. The annual ritual may give some people an extra hour of sleep on Saturday night, but for others, including parents of young children and shift workers, it’s an annoying […]
We have many ways of marking the passage of time. Saturday’s Winter Solstice, which marks not just the arbitrary beginning of a season, but also the slow return of daylight to the Northern hemisphere. Or the coming decade, as many reflect back on everything that’s happened since 2010, and prepare to mark the beginning of […]
Erik Herzog is a chronobiologist at Washington University, studying the molecules, cells and circuits that underlie daily rhythms in physiology and behavior. He was recently named the Viktor Hamburger Professor of Biology. Viktor Hamburger was one of the most influential neuro-embryologists of the twentieth century, beginning his research at Wash U in 1935. “I am deeply […]
Never again. After we turn back the clocks one hour on the morning of Nov. 3, Washington University in St. Louis chronobiologist Erik Herzog wants us to just keep it that way. Herzog “Just lock it in,” Herzog said. “Forever.” Herzog is a professor of biology in Arts & Sciences and president of the Society for Research on […]
Feeling a bit lethargic this week? It may have to do with the recent time change and a disruption to biological rhythms. Erik Herzog, professor of biology in Arts & Sciences and a frequent voice of reason on this topic, said that sticking with standard time makes public health sense. Time is what makes this scientist, […]
Don’t be left in the dark: The movement to abolish clock-time changes each spring and autumn is gaining momentum. Enthusiasts point to examples from sunny locales. Hawaii has never switched between daylight saving time (DST) and standard time. The state keeps one clock throughout the year, and so does most of Arizona. In 2018, Florida […]
From the WashU Institute for School Partnerships… Erik Herzog was starting to get concerned. He was deep into the oral portion of the 2018 St. Louis Area Brain Bee and the unthinkable was on the horizon: He was running out of questions. “The contestants had never performed so well in the past,” said Herzog, professor […]
From WBUR (Boston) & NPR… Most of the country switched their clocks back an hour over the weekend, ending daylight saving time. And even though one hour might not sound like a lot, it has a noticeable impact. “In the long term, this one hour cumulatively can really have effects on our health,” says Erik Herzog, […]
From the Society for Neuroscience News… WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) will award Erik Herzog, PhD, professor of biology at Washington University and director of the St. Louis Neuroscience Pipeline Program, and Gönül Peker, PhD, professor emeritus at Ege University, Turkey, this year’s Award for Education in Neuroscience. The honor recognizes individuals […]
From the WashU Newsroom… If you’ve ever experienced jet lag, you are familiar with your circadian rhythm, which manages nearly all aspects of metabolism, from sleep-wake cycles to body temperature to digestion. Every cell in the body has a circadian clock, but researchers were unclear about how networks of cells connect with each other over […]
ENDURE fosters community in undergraduate research From the WashU Newsroom… When Washington University in St. Louis student Sneha Chaturvedi walks into a laboratory, she knows what to expect: sterile white floors, test tubes lining the shelves, a chemical smell wafting between benches and men in lab coats. Few of the scientists are women or underrepresented […]
A tiny population of neurons can unlock the body’s clock From the WashU Newsroom… Travel by airplane has opened the door to experiencing different cultures and exploring natural wonders. That is, if you can get past the jet lag. But what if you could take control of the brain’s daily timing system? Biologists at Washington […]
From St. Louis Public Radio… Love it or hate it, Daylight Saving Time began over the weekend. Across the country, people lost an hour of sleep in exchange for longer days through the summer. Is it worth it? On one hand, traffic accidents increase for three days following the time change and people become more irritable […]