Researchers Identify Potential Therapeutic Target for Management of Thirst Disorders

In a recent mouse-model study, published in Nature Neuroscience, researchers at University Hospitals (UH), Harrington Discovery Institute at UH, and Case Western Reserve University have now found that the cerebellum also controls thirst, a major function necessary for survival. Specifically, the research team found that a hormone, asprosin, crosses from the periphery into the brain to activate Purkinje neurons in the cerebellum. This leads to an enhanced drive to seek and drink water.

Toddlers’ brains show significant growth in cognitive skills by 16 months, study finds

Toddlers engage more regions of their brains around 16-months to help them develop important cognitive skills enabling them to follow simple instructions and control impulses. Findings from the study, led by the Universities of Bristol and Oxford, and published in Imaging Neuroscience, suggests 16 months is a critical period for brain development.

Chemotherapy disrupts gut microbiome in patients with breast cancer

“For the first time ever, our Intelligut Study found that the gut microbiome has been implicated in cognitive side effects of chemotherapy in humans,” said senior author Leah Pyter, associate professor of psychiatry and neuroscience with The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine.

Study Challenges ED Protocols for Geriatric Head Injuries and Blood Thinners

Out of 3,425 patients enrolled in the study, 0.4% (13 patients) experienced a delayed intracranial hemorrhage, a significantly lower rate than previously reported (7.2%).

Alcohol misuse can disrupt gut microbiota, causing inflammation that leads to organ damage

Alcohol researchers have long known that excessive drinking can cause damage to the liver, pancreas, heart, muscle, bone, and brain. However, only a subset of patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) appear to develop organ damage. New research shows that alcohol-induced gut inflammation is the missing link between unhealthy drinking and organ damage among certain AUD patients.

Alzheimer’s Awareness Month: Virginia Tech researchers work toward better treatments

Alzheimer’s disease, a deadly brain disease than can cause loss of memory and mobility, affects millions of lives daily. June marks Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, and Virginia Tech researchers are engaged in research meant to advance treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and assist caregivers of loved ones with dementia.

Tricking the Brain’s inner GPS: Grid cells responses to the illusion of self-location

Dr. Hyuk-June Moon from the Bionics Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), in collaboration with Prof. Olaf Blanke’s team at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), has successfully induced self-location illusions with multi-sensory virtual reality (VR) in the MRI scanner and observed corresponding changes in the human brain’s grid cell activity.

Everyday social interactions predict language development in infants

In a study published April 8 in Current Biology, University of Washington researchers found that when the adult talked and played socially with a 5-month-old baby, the baby’s brain activity particularly increased in regions responsible for attention — and the level of this type of activity predicted enhanced language development at later ages.

Gene therapy offers hope for giant axonal neuropathy patients

A gene therapy developed by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center for a rare disease called giant axonal neuropathy (GAN) was well tolerated in pediatric patients and showed clear benefits, a new study reports. Findings from the phase one clinical trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, could offer hope for patients with this rare condition and a host of other neurological diseases.

Hahn Awarded CZI Grant to Monitor, Manipulate Proteins Important in Nervous System Function, Neurological Disease

Klaus Hahn, PhD, the Ronald G. Thurman Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology at the UNC School of Medicine, will co-lead this Chan Zuckerberg Initiative project with colleagues at Duke University and North Carolina State University.

Gold nanoparticles reverse brain deficits in multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s

Results from phase two clinical trials at UT Southwestern Medical Center showed that a suspension of gold nanocrystals taken daily by patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) significantly reversed deficits of metabolites linked to energy activity in the brain and resulted in functional improvements.

Researcher determines ADHD gives entrepreneurs an edge

The brains of people with ADHD function in ways that can benefit them as entrepreneurs, according to research from the West Virginia University John Chambers College of Business and Economics.

Dr. Claudia Padilla discusses Alzheimer’s and a new treatment.

Claudia Padilla, MD, at Baylor Scott & White Health, discusses Alzheimer’s and a new treatment. What You Need to Know: Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia. The most common sign is short-term memory loss. New medication targets the protein…

Device keeps brain alive, functioning separate from body

Researchers led by a team at UT Southwestern Medical Center have developed a device that can isolate blood flow to the brain, keeping the organ alive and functioning independent from the rest of the body for several hours.

UCI Expert On: Metacognition

How do our brains take in complex information from the world around us to help us make decisions? And what happens when there’s a mismatch between how well your brain thinks it’s performing this function and how well it’s actually doing? In this episode of the UCI School of Social Sciences Experts On, cognitive scientist Megan Peters takes a deep dive into metacognition – our ability to monitor our own cognitive processing.

UC Irvine health psychologist Julian F. Thayer elected to National Academy of Medicine

Irvine, Calif., Oct. 9, 2023 — Julian F. Thayer, a Distinguished Professor of psychological science at the University of California, Irvine, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine, one of the highest distinctions accorded to professionals in the medical sciences, healthcare and public health. He is one of 100 new members announced today.