Read More >

James Galvin, MD, MPH, always wanted to be a doctor. But it was his father's own battle with Parkinson's disease that convinced the New Jersey native to become a neurologist. Galvin's research at the Hope Center seeks better treatments for people with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Read More >

The ability to remember word lists and other tests of episodic memory are commonly used to detect early signs of Alzheimer's disease. But Hope Center investigator James Galvin, MD, MPH, may have found a way of detecting the mental changes associated with Alzheimer's Disease years earlier. Read More >

Up to $100,000. Deadline - Oct. 30th! Read More >

Like humans with ALS, the new mouse engineered by Hope Center investigator Robert Baloh, MD, PhD, develops progressive paralysis; loses muscle mass and motor neurons, and eventually dies of the disorder. These similarities to human ALS make it an exceptional model for developing and testing new treatments for human ALS. Read More >

Jeffery Milbrandt, MD, Ph.D, will succeed interim head of Genetics Susan Dutcher, Ph.D., who has held the position since June 2006. In addition to being a Hope Center investigator, Milbrandt serves on the Hope Center's steering committee. Read More >

Gregory Zipfel, M.D., was drawn to Washington University by the opportunity to both practice clincial medicine and conduct high level research. In this interview, Zipfel, a Hope Center researcher, talks about his background, accomplishments, and interests in and out of the lab. Read More >

Neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease often disrupt sleep. New findings from the lab of David Holtzman, M.D., are some of the first indications that sleep loss could play a role in the genesis of such disorders. Holtzman is a Hope Center researcher and steering committee member. Read More >

Hope Center researcher Susan Mackinnon, MD, and Justin Brown, MD, are using newly developed nerve grafting and nerve transfer techniques to help patients of the Center for Nerve Injury and Paralysis regain movement and sensation in their nerve-damaged limbs. Read More >

Hope Center researchers Christina Gurnett, M.D., Ph.D. and Liu Lin Thio, M.D., Ph.D., are part of a group of researchers and clinicians who have created the first-ever registry to track a severe type of epilepsy that strikes infants within their first few months of life. Read More >

Graduate fellow Alexis Webb, working with Hope Center researcher Erik Herzog, Ph.D. and others, has shown that individual cells keep time on their own - even when isolated from the body's biological clock. Read More >

More research on Alzheimer's Disease is crucial if we are to move beyond delaying its effects and comforting those affected. James E. Galvin, M.D., MPH, sees hope in earlier diagnosis and increases in enrollment in clinical trials. Galvin is an Alzheimer's researcher at the Hope Center and Director of the Memory Diagnostic Center. Read More >

Hope Center member Susan Mackinnon, M.D. repairs damaged nerves. In 1998 she performed the first nerve transplant, and she remains in the forefront of surgical treatment for peripheral nerve injury and research on nerve regeneration. Read More >

Part of the work of biophysicist Rohit V . Pappu, PhD, concentrates on how proteins clump together. This research is relevant to Huntington’s disease — which affects balance, speech and muscle strength, and typically causes death within 20 years — as well as eight other inherited neurodegenerative diseases . Read More >

2006 - The introduction of Marvin, a chemical-analyzing robot, to the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology's Molecular Imaging Center by Helen Piwinica-Worms, Ph.D. and Hope Center members Raphael Kopan, Ph.D., and David Piwinica-Worms, M.D. Ph.D. Read More >

Hope Center Executive Committee member Philip Needleman was profiled in the April 10, 2007 issue of National Academy of Sciences. Read More >

The Hope Center's Philip Bayly, Ph.D., who studies the dynamics of brain movement and injury, is careful to practice head safety himself. Read More >

August 11, 2005 - How exactly does the human brain react to a fall or an automobile accident? The Hope Center's Dr. Philip Bayly is working to answer that question, using strapped-in volunteers and a new computer model based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. Read More >

Elisa Reeves of Hope Happens interviewed Dr. Timothy Miller, MD/PhD, Assistant Professor of Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine, about joining the Hope Center faculty and his ALS research. Miller is the first director of the Christopher Wells Hobler Laboratory for ALS Research. Read More >

Using PET technology, Joel Perlmutter, M.D. is examining the brain's interior to discover better treatments for diseases such as Parkinson's, essential tremor, and dystonia. Read More >

Hope Center faculty member Janice Brunstrom, M.D. has fought many battles in her life, but her greatest cause may be correcting common misconceptions about cerebral palsy. Dr. Brunstrom is associate professor of neurology and pediatrics and director of the Pediatric Neurology Cerebral Palsy Center at St. Louis Children's Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine. Read More >

Pioneer in Progress against Parkinson's Karen O'Malley, Ph.D., is ferreting out the facts about dopamine in leading-edge research Read More >

Valeria Cavalli, PhD, a specialist in neuronal cell biology and axon injury, is engaged with one of medicine’s great challenges: to reverse paralysis and restore nerve function when the central nervous system (CNS) has been severely damaged by stroke, spinal-cord injury or disease. Read More >

Researchers have known since the early 20th century that a characteristic sign of Alzheimer’s disease is that it leaves sufferers’ brains riddled with plaques. The key ingredient of the plaques is a fragment of a protein known as amyloid precursor protein (APP). The fragment itself is called amyloid beta (Aβ). The causes of excessive Aβ are often maddeningly elusive. That’s partially because a wealth of environmental and genetic factors probably contribute to risk. But another significant question also obsc Read More >

When David Christopher Brooks was 4 months old, his mother noticed that he wasn’t moving his arms and legs and kept his hands balled up into fists. Read More >

Spring 2006 — Research at the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, supported by Hope Happens (formerly ALS Hope,) provides new hope for patients suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease,) Alzheimer's, Multiple Sclerosis, and other degenerative neurological disorders through multi-disciplinary, team-oriented approach. Read More >

Prions are a new kind of infectious agent thought to be at the heart of several rare neurodegenerative disorders that devastate the brains of humans, cows and sheep. Hope Center members David Harris, M.D., Ph.D. and Heather True-Krob, Ph.D. are gathering new insights into how prions form and cause disease. As they do, tantalizing hints are starting to emerge that prions may be connected to a much wider range of biological phenomena than the rare brain disorders that first led to their discovery. Read More >

Research shows that diseases of the brain, spinal cord and nerves have common threads that can only be discovered on a fundamental level. When we understand these shared disease pathways, we can begin to find cures. Read More >

July 25, 2007 -- Itching for a better anti-itch remedy? Your wish may soon be granted now that scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified the first gene for the itch sensation in the central nervous system. The discovery could rapidly lead to new treatments directly targeting itchiness and providing relief for chronic and severe itching. Read More >

Floyd E. Bloom, M.D., a new member of the Hope Center Executive Committee, recently gave the keynote address at Washington University's Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences (DBBS) 35th anniversary celebration. Read More >

Oct. 29, 2007 -- For some epilepsy patients, the side effects of epilepsy can be as troubling as the seizures. One pressing concern is the cognitive impairment seizures often inflict, which potentially includes memory loss, slowed reactions and reduced attention spans. Read More >

The Challenge supports the most promising basic and clinical research in neurological disorders. Your support furthers these programs to understand the causes of disease, develop improved treatments and search for lifesaving cures. Read More >

Hope Center member Anne H. Cross, M.D., believes anything in life that's worthwhile is hard. "Like Winston Churchill said, 'Never give up; never, never, never,'" she says. Read More >

By imaging the brains of children, adolescents and adults, Bradley Schlaggar, MD, PhD and colleagues have identified previously-unknown neural networks which segregate to form new allegiances or "cliques" throughout development. Read More >

A member of the Departments of Psychiatry and Genetics at Washington University School of Medicine since 1992, Alison Goate, Ph.D. is the Samuel and Mae S. Ludwig Professor of Genetics in Psychiatry and professor of genetics and of neurology. Her 16-person lab is devoted to genetic research on Alzheimer's disease (AD), tauopathies, and alcoholism—and since January 2005, the molecular underpinnings of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease. Read More >

Robert H. Baloh, MD, PhD, deciphers the molecular mechanics of neurodegenerative disease. Two of his research focuses are amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and Charcot- Marie-Tooth disease (CMT). Read More >

Hope Center member Alex S. Evers, M.D., wears a number of hats. He is the Henry E. Mallinckrodt Professor and head of the Department of Anesthesiology and a professor of medicine and of molecular biology and pharmacology. Most of Evers' career has involved looking at how lipid-like drugs can be used in anesthesia. For the past several years, he has focused on a particular class of lipid-like drugs: steroids. Read More >

Join us in St. Louis, September 9-11, for the first annual TransMed Partnership Forum, a unique event focusing on translational medicine. The Forum will bring together the leading developers of breakthrough medical technologies in various disease fields, industry experts in translational medicine, investors, and the leading disease-focused foundations supporting biomedical research. Read More >

Message from Larry J. Shapiro, M.D., Executive Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs and Dean: Read More >

A Symposium on Translational Neuroscience Read More >

The Synapses Journal Club has adopted a “Synapses and Disease” focus for the last three academic semesters, and we anticipate that this will continue for at least the upcoming semester. We welcome investigators with an interest in this topic. Historically the club has had a somewhat electrophysiological focus, but more recently we have expanded with the interests of attendees to include cell biology, molecular biology, development, genetic models, etc. A list of last semester’s papers and the first schedul Read More >

Mark P. Goldberg, M.D., presents "Tangled Proteins, Dying Neurons: How genetics is helping to reveal a surprising cause of brain diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Lou Gehrig's disease" November 29, 2007 from 7-9 p.m. at the Saint Louis Science Center. Read More >

Neurobiology of Disease (Bio 5663) – an advanced graduate course on the pathology of nervous system disorders – will be offered Jan. 17 - May 1, 2008. Intended to acquaint neuroscience graduates with a broad spectrum of neurological diseases, each class session will be led by Washington University faculty members with expertise in topics such as neurooncology, stroke, retinal disease, perinatal brain injury, neurodegenerative disorders, neuroinflammation, epilepsy, and psychiatric disorders. Class sessions Read More >

The Hope Center for Neurological Disorders is pleased to announce the Hope Center Fellowship Award program. Read More >

THE TRANSGENIC VECTORS CORE Complete Vector Design and Construction Service Read More >

The Hope Center for Neurological Disorders is pleased to announce that we are accepting applications for the Hope Center Awards Competition. Awards of $1000 each will be given to one pre-doctoral student and one postdoctoral trainee whose work best fulfills the mission of the Hope Center: To improve the lives of those with neurological diseases through basic research that advances scientific knowledge, treatment, recovery, and cure. Read More >

The Hope Center, in collaboration with Hope Happens and the Ladue Chapel Presbyterian Church, invite you to a 4-week lecture series, “Brainstorm: The search for hope and cures at the final frontier of science.” Read More >

Collaborative ALS Drug Discovery Initiative Thanks to generous support from Project ALS, the ALS Therapy Alliance, and private donors, the Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center is pleased to announce the launch of the Collaborative ALS Drug Discovery Initiative, a major new program of early stage ALS drug discovery that combines biological and mechanistic expertise of investigators around the world with our dedicated drug discovery team. Read More >

Annual Conference on Effective Research Management Read More >

The University's Bear Cub Fund has extended its deadline for grant applications to Friday, Nov. 14. Read More >

4th Annual Cerebral Palsy Conference Read More >

The fourth annual Hope Happens “Evening of Hope” will star world-famous violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, “Goddess of Fire,” in an exclusive performance. The evening will begin with cocktails, dinner at 6:30 p.m., and the concert at 8:00 p.m., followed by a reception with the artist at 9 p.m. Read More >

The University Bear Cub Fund is soliciting grant applications from University researchers who want to move inventions from their laboratories toward commercialization. The Bear Cub Fund was established in 2002 and is administered through the University's research office. Approximately $200,000 in grant funds will be allocated to Washington University scientists each year. Read More >

The Hope Center for Neurological Disorders has funds available to support interdisciplinary projects which advance the translational neuroscience goals of the Hope Center. Faculty may request up to $100,000 for one-year projects to begin December 1, 2008. At least two projects will be awarded initially, with additional awards possible as funding becomes available Read More >

The Fourth Annual Symposium on Translational Neuroscience, featuring the George H. Bishop and Hope Center Lectures, will be held on Thursday, April 8th, 2010. Read More >

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The Hope Center joins the ALS community in mourning the loss and celebrating the life of Jack Orchard. Read More >

St. Louis, Dec. 4, 2008 — The Danforth Foundation has granted the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis a $10 million endowed matching gift for research into a range of conditions that cause injury and impairment to the brain and central nervous system. Read More >

The St. Louis chapter of the ALS Association is marking its 25th anniversary with a gala event at the Saint Louis Club. Kate Linder from The Young and the Restless will be a special guest at the event. Read More >

Although restricting calorie intake in mice may prevent some age-related changes in the brain, says Laura L. Dugan, M.D., associate professor of neurology, of medicine and of anatomy and neurobiology, it cannot prevent all age-related cognitive deficits. Read More >

Hope Center member Barbara Joy Snider, M.D. is awarded the Alene and Meyer Kopolow Award for Excellence in Geriatrics, Psychiatry, or Neurology for 2004. Read More >

Investigators led by Hope Center researcher Jeffrey Milbrandt, M.D., finds that a protein can slow degeneration of nerve cell branches. Read More >

Chris Hobler has a plan to find cures for neurological diseases fast. Read More >

David M. Holtzman, M.D., has been named one of two winners of the 2003 Potamkin Prize for Research in Picks, Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders. Read More >

Most models of epilepsy focus on neurons, which are the brain cells directly responsible for seizures. But targeting neurons with drugs is often ineffective. Read More >

A 2003 directory of "America's top doctors" includes four Hope Center members among 88 Washington University physicians. Read More >

Five Center investigators received grants from Washington University's McDonnell Center for Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology. Read More >

A team led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, in collaboration with researchers at Eli Lilly and Co. in Indianapolis, have developed a new technique that, for the first time, provides a way to dynamically study proteins known to be related to Alzheimer’s disease in the fluid between brain cells, called interstitial fluid. Read More >

The Hope Center's Annaliese Schaefer has won a one-year grant for basic research in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Read More >

Summer 2005 — Artist Jesse Vonk, widow of the late St. Louis Symphony Conductor Hans Vonk, has donated a stone and metal sculpture, In Shadow Of The Rock, to the Hope Center in his memory. Mr. Vonk, a beloved figure who took over the St. Louis Symphony from Leonard Slatkin when Mr. Slatkin moved to the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington , D.C., was treated at Washington University Medical Center for the Lou Gehrig's Disease that ultiamtely took his life. Read More >

Hope Center research finds a surprising protective action of pomegranate juice Read More >

March 25, 2005 — Philip V. Bayly, Hope Center member and dual appointee to the School of Engineering's departments of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, is the first Lilyan and E. Lisle Hughes Professor in Engineering. Read More >

Oct. 20, 2005 — A molecule that has long been an obstacle to cancer chemotherapy and drug treatments for brain disorders may soon become an ally in the fight against Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Rochester. Read More >

Hope Center member Mark Jacquin has been elected fellow of the national scientific society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Read More >

December 2, 2005 — When Washington University School of Medicine students honored faculty at the Distinguished Service Teaching Awards ceremony November 21, Hope Center Director Mark P. Goldberg, M.D. was the class of 2006's pick for "Clinical Lecturer of the Year." Read More >

Dec. 21, 2005 — Investigators at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that cells making up a non-visual system in the eye are in place and functioning long before the rods and cones that process light into vision. The discovery should help scientists learn more about the eye's non-visual functions such as the synchronization of the body's internal, circadian clock, the pupil's responses to light and light-regulated release of hormones. Read More >

Sept. 21, 2005 — Jeffrey Milbrandt, M.D., Ph.D, professor of pathology and immunology, internal medicine and of neurology, will become the first David Clayson Professor of Neurology on Sept. 22. Read More >

Nov. 18, 2005: A combination of brain scanning with a new imaging agent and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis has left neuroscientists encouraged that they may finally be moving toward techniques for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease before its clinical symptoms become apparent. Read More >

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) announced a grant of approximately $370,000 over three years to Ceregene, Inc., a biotechnology company based in San Diego, that will partially fund the first clinical trials for CERE-120, a breakthrough gene therapy product shown to slow or stop progression of Parkinson's disease in pre-clinical trials. Read More >

Dec. 21, 2005 — Increased communication between brain cells increases levels of amyloid beta, the key ingredient in Alzheimer's brain plaques, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found. Read More >

Hope Center researcher Alison Goate's genetic studies help pinpoint causal pathways that will lead to molecular targets for new drugs Read More >

Hope Center member Alex S. Evers achieves one of medical science's highest honors as he is elected into the National Academcy of Sciences. Read More >

Elizabeth Tank and Chris Weihl, M.D., PhD, were awarded annual Hope Center Research Prizes. Read More >

The Hope Center regrets that Stephen Heywood, age 37, lost his battle against ALS. Stephen and his brother Jaime have had a significant impact in raising awareness about ALS. Read More >

The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics hosted "Symposium at 77" in honor of Hope Center investigator, Carl Frieden, Ph.D., the former department head and longtime professor. Read More >

A tem led by Hope Center faculty member, Bradley L. Schlaggar, M.D., Ph.D., has uncovered new pathways of brain development in childhood. Dr. Schlaggar is an assistant professor of pediatrics, radiology, neurology and neurobiology and anatomy. Read More >

Using novel technique of resting-state functional connectivity MRI, Brad Schlaggar and colleagues find connections between brain regions involved in the default network firmer in adults. Findings show promise of improving assessment and treatment of brain disorders. Read More >

A decrease in nerve cell innervation of bowel can lead to irritable bowel syndrome or, in more severe cases, Hirschprung disease. Robert Heuckeroth has found that bowel innervation can be regulated by Vitamin A or its metabolite, retinoic acid. Read More >

A team led by Hope Center members Randall Bateman and David Holtzman, the Andrew B. and Gretchen P. Jones Professor of Neurology, has developed a test to monitor amyloid beta peptide, the long-suspected cause of Alzheimer's Disease, in humans for the first time. Read More >

Jan. 18, 2007 -- Leonard Berg, M.D., the founder and former director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, died Monday, Jan. 15, 2007, following a stroke. He was 79. Read More >

We are delighted to announce a major redesign of the Hope Center web site. The new site uses a "content management system" web design, which allows flexible, modular, and collaborative programming. Read More >

April 11, 2007 -- A study of how the brain of a premature infant responds to injury has found vulnerabilities similar to those in the mature brain but also identified at least one significant difference, according to neuroscientists and neonatologists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Read More >

Hope Center scientists Jin Moo Lee, M.D., Ph.D. and David Holtzman, M.D. have discovered a new brain pathway involved in Alzheimer's Disease. Read More >

Hope Center researcher James Galvin, MD, MPH, receives a top award for his research into geriatric dementia. Read More >

Hope Center investigator, Dr. Jan Brunstom, was featured in a recent story about the importance of correcting visual defects in children with cerebral palsy. Dr. Brunstrom directs the Washington University Pediatric Neurology Cerebral Palsy Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Read More >

Amyloid plaques are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Dave Holtzman’s laboratory finds that overexpression of ABCA1, which is involved in the transport of cholesterol and other lipids, leads to a lower incidence of amyloid plaques. Read More >

A clinical trial in Parkinson's Disease showed promising results for a gene therapy based on a discovery by Hope Center scientists. Read More >

Three Alzheimer's disease researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have been named to the 2006 Scientific American 50, an honorary list of the year's "prime movers" in a variety of scientific disciplines. Read More >

An article in Nature Neuroscience describes a new scientific approach to controlling nerve cell function using drugs activated by light. The Washington University team includes Hope Center faculty Steven Mennerick, PhD, Charles Zorumski, MD, and Alex Evers, MD. Read More >

Washington University is one of only four institutions to receive an NIH Neuroscience Blueprint Interdisciplinary Center Core Grant. Read More >

Russell N. Van Gelder, M.D., Ph.D., is the new Bernard Becker Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. Larry J. Shapiro, M.D., executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine, announced the appointment. Read More >

Neurofibrillary tangles are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. These tangles are made up of tau, a microtubule-associated protein that normally is found in nerve cells but which aggregates in patients with Alzheimer’s. A collaboration involving Hope Center investigators Alison Goate, John Kauwe, Anne Fagan, and David Holtzman found that DNA sequence variations in the tau gene are associated with early onset of Alzheimer's disease symptoms. Read More >

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, a research leader in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke and schizophrenia, will be among the first recipients of a major new National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to facilitate study of nervous system disorders. Read More >

The Hope Center is pleased to announce the inaugural Hope Center Fellows: Ann Stowe and John Kauwe. Read More >

John "Keoni" Kauwe, PhD, an inaugural Hope Center Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry in the School of Medicine, is using his expertise in population genetics to advance Alzheimer's research. Read More >

St. Louis medical news reporter Kay Quinn recently visited the Hope Center and provided this report. The video of her tour and inspiring interview with Hope Happens supporter and long-term multiple sclerosis survivor, Carole Wilson can be viewed at the KSDK web site. Read More >

Hope Center member Eugene M. Johnson, Jr., Ph.D., has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world's largest general scientific society. Read More >

Second annual "Evening of Hope" music and performance enchants donors. Read More >

Hope Center Faculty member Michael Wong, MD PhD, studies Tuberous Sclerosis (TS), one of the most common genetic causes of epilepsy. Read More >

Feb. 23, 2007 -- David M. Holtzman, M.D., the Andrew B. and Gretchen P. Jones Professor and head of Neurology, is co-recipient of the MetLife Foundation Award for Medical Research in Alzheimer's Disease. Holtzman is also associate director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) and a member of the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Read More >

Hope Center investigator, Carl Frieden, Ph.D, will receive the 2007 Christian B. Anfinsen Award at the 21st Symposium of the Protein Society July 21-25 in Boston. Dr. Frieden is professor of biochemistry and of molecular biophysics. Read More >

Hope Center scientist Gerald W. Dorn II, M.D., has been named the Philip and Sima K. Needleman Professor of Medicine. Philip Needleman, Ph.D., chaired the Department of Pharmacology from 1976 to 1989 and is also a member of the Hope Center's executive committee. Read More >

Pain warns us when our body is injured, but when pain becomes chronic, it loses all usefulness and becomes debilitating. Typically, pain killers block pain receptors. But Hope Center investigator Rob Gereau is approaching the problem from a new angle: What if you could reverse the process that makes pain chronic? Read More >

What Anne Fagan, Ph.D, does depends on who you ask. At the Hope Center, Fagan is known for her research on Alzheimer's Disease, but to her son Greg's class she's simply known as the "brain lady." The dueling titles are a testament to Fagan's ability to balance her roles as outstanding scientist and mom. Read More >

Hope Center researcher Alison Goate, D. Phil., was one of an international team of scientists behind a new study that pooled DNA samples of 7,000 people with Alzheimer's Disease and 12,000 with no symptoms to identify genetic risk factors for the disease. Read More >

What stroke interventions are being tested in humans? Are there promising treatments on the horizon? For answers, one might check the Stroke Trials Registry hosted by the Internet Stroke Center. The Registry recently achieved a notable benchmark - 1000 entries. Read More >

"Life, Death, and the Renewal of the Neuron: The Leap from Bench to Bedside" took place on February 29th, 2008, at the Eric P. Newman Education Center on the campus of Washington University School of Medicine. This one-day Symposium was a celebration of the career of Eugene M. Johnson, Jr., Ph.D., Professor of Neurology, and Molecular Biology and Pharmacology. Read More >

Using multi-photon microscopy to observe structural changes in the neurons of living animals, investigators in Michael Wong's lab show loss of dendritic spines in an animal model of epilepsy. The goal is to understand the molecular mechanisms of brain injury following seizures. Read More >

Dr. Susan Mackinnon has been elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine, one of 65 individuals from across the country. Read More >

January 2008 -- A recent study undertaken by a research team including Hope Center researchers Kelvin A. Yamada, Liu Lin Thio, and Michael Wong revealed that dietary changes to increase leptin levels, intranasal delivery of leptin, or pharmacological targeting of JAK2/PI3K signaling pathways may reduce the length and frequency of epileptic symptoms. Read More >

Hope Center investigator Jeanne M. Nerbonne, Ph.D., received the Distinguished Investigator Award from Washington University's School of Medicine. The awards recognize outstanding achievements in clinical care, community service, research and teaching. Read More >

Some patients with Alzheimer’s Disease harbor a mutation in the presenilin gene. Raphael Kopan and collaborators identify a conserved role of presenilin in moss and mammals, so are able to further study the molecular pathways that lead to Alzheimer’s Disease. Read More >

Linghui Zeng, M.D., Ph.D. (right), a postdoctoral research associate in neurology, shows Michael Wong, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of neurology and Zeng's mentor, her winning poster titled "Rapamycin Prevents Epilepsy in a Mouse Model of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex" at the 2008 Postdoc Scientific Symposium poster session at the Eric P. Newman Education Center. Read More >

Mark your calendar for the 7th Annual Leonard Berg Symposium, to be held at Washington University September 28-29, 2007. The focus for this year's meeting is "Novel Approaches to Protein Misfolding Disorders." Abnormalities in protein folding and aggregation lead to pathology in most neurodegenerative disorders. This is one of the two scientific themes of the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, and the topic of the Hope Center's Biomed 21 Interdisciplinary Research Center. Read More >

On May 8, 2008, the Second Annual Symposium on Translational Neuroscience featuring the 53rd Annual George H. Bishop Lecturer, Stephen Hauser, MD, and the 2nd Annual Hope Center Lecturer, Ben Barres, PhD, took place at Connor Auditorium. Read More >

Hope Center investigator Zhou-Feng Chen, Ph.D. has discovered nerve cells specific to itching - dispelling the common belief among scientists that itching is just a less intense version of pain. Read More >

In the lab of James Galvin, M.D., there is a new breed of fruit fly and an indian spice that may hold the key to treating dementia and other losses of cognitive function in people with Parkinson's Disease. Read More >

Research conducted by Hope Center Fellow Ann Stowe, Ph.D., has shown that neutrophil elastase plays a key role in brain injury that can occur following a stroke. Read More >

We at the Hope Center wish to thank everyone who helped make the Third Annual Symposium on Translational Neuroscience a great success. Read More >

Research conducted at the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders has linked a mutation in the TDP-43 gene to ALS. Senior researcher Nigel Cairns, Ph.D, says the discovery has implications for research and treatment of both inherited and sporadic forms of ALS. Read More >

Based on surveys of physicians from over 400 subspecialties of medicine, a dozen Hope Center faculty members have been listed in Best Doctors in America for 2009. Read More >

Dr. Schalggar's research on the development of the network structure of the brain in Tourettes syndrome has earned him a celebrated award from the American Academy of Neurology. Read More >

In a recent interview for the Ladue News, Anne Cross, a faculty member of the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, expressed optimism about emerging treatments for multiple sclerosis. Read More >

Dr. David Holtzman, a Hope Center investigator and chair of the steering committee, was named one of 14 "pioneers" in biomedical research by U.S. News and World Report. Read More >

A Hope Center investigator, C. Michael Crowder M.D./Ph.D., has been named the new Brown Professor of Anesthesiology. Dr. Crowder's research investigates mechanisms of neuronal cell death after a hypoxic injury, such as a stroke. Read More >

Neurons can die if their ability to break down damaged or unneeded proteins within the cell is impaired. According to a new study published by researchers in the lab of Hope Center investigator B. Joy Snider, calcium may hold the key to protecting these neurons. Read More >

Dr. Robert Heuckeroth, a Hope Center investigator, received an prestigious Burroughs Wellcome Fund award for his work in turning laboratory research into treatments at the patient's bedside. Read More >

Using the drug rapamycin, researchers in Hope Center investigator Michael Wong's lab prevented changes in the brains of rats that typically result from a seizure and can lead to seizures later on. Subsequent seizures in the treated rats decreased significantly. Read More >

Watch "The Alzheimer's Project" on your computer. The Alzheimer’s Project is a four-part HBO documentary film series on Alzheimer's Disease including the science and research, children touched by Alzheimer’s, and people with the disease and their caregivers. Read More >

Hope Center investigators Drs. Aaron DiAntonio and Jeffrey Milbrandt have indentified the first gene that "pulls the plug" on ailing nerve branches from within the cell, a discovery that could yield greater insight into the painful nerve condition known as neuropathy. Read More >

Hope Center scientist Dr. Jeffrey Milbrandt and collaborators have discovered that an enzyme studied for years because of its potential connections to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and stroke may also help to create and maintain the brain. Read More >

Hope Center investigators Drs. Anne Fagan and David Holtzman have linked a potential indicator of Alzheimer's disease to brain damage in humans with no signs of mental impairment. Read More >

Hope Center scientist Dr. Jin-Moo Lee and his collaborators have found that have shown that residents with appropriate training can safely make the call, ensuring that effective treatment is delivered faster. This finding could improve the speed of stroke treatment. Read More >

Drs. Zhou-Feng Chen and Robyn Klein each received $30,000 grants to pursue projects related to itch and multiple sclerosis, respectively. Read More >

February 18, 2005 — Washington University School of Medicine will get a $5.5 million bequest Friday from the estate of Hilda Niess of Trenton, Ill., in Clinton County. Read More >

January 10, 2005 — Time is the most important factor when dealing with stroke, the third leading cause of death in the U.S. But before a person can get a loved one crucial medical treatment in time, he or she must know what signs to heed. WUSM physicians and stroke experts Mark Goldberg and Maurizio Corbetta discuss stroke and its symptoms in the following St. Louis Post-Dispatch article. Read More >

Jan. 9, 2007 -- By all expectations, it shouldn't have worked as well as it did. A combination of bone marrow transplantation and gene therapy greatly lengthened the lives of laboratory mice doomed by a rapidly progressing, fatal neurodegenerative disorder also found in people. Read More >

March 19, 2007 -- Washington University today joined a consortium of leading scientific and medical institutions around the country to warn Congress that persistent flat-funding of biomedical research could thwart advances in treatments for such diseases as cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Read More >

Hope Center neurologist, Dr. James Galvin, is beginning an NIH-sponsored clinical trial of a fish compound, DHA, for patients with Alzheimer's Disease. Read More >

Kathryn Ayers, a senior at Parkway West High School, was a winner in the Honors Division of the Greater St. Louis Science Fair, held March 30-31, 2007. She was awarded for a research project conducted at the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, in which she examined regeneration of spinal cord axons following strokes in mice. Read More >

Hope Center member Russ Van Gelder, MD PhD, has been awarded a Clinical Scientist Award in Translational Research from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. The aim of this prestigious award is to allow physician-scientists the flexibility to pursue novel questions. Van Gelder is one of eleven to receive this honor. Read More >

Hope Center scientist, Christina Gurnett, M.D., Ph.D., is a pediatric neurologist with expertise in genetics research for brain diseases such as epilepsy. In this work, she is collaborating with with Matthew Dobbs, M.D., associate professor of orthopaedic surgeryto establishs a DNA databank of musculoskeletal disorders. Read More >

Scientists today released results of a trial of neurturin in gene therapy for Parkinson's Disease patients. Neurturin is a brain cell growth factor first discovered by Hope Center faculty members Drs. Paul Kotzbauer, Eugene Johnson, and Jeff Milbrandt. Read More >

The Washington University Program in Neuroscience was ranked in the top 10 in the latest survey of graduate and professional programs from US News & World Report. Hope Center faculty member Dr. Karen O'Malley is co-director of the interdepartmental program, which is responsible for graduate training in neuroscience. Read More >

Robert Baloh, M.D., Ph.D. has received the S. Weir Mitchell Award from the American Academy of Neurology, for work in the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders conducted with Jeffrey Milbrandt, M.D., Ph.D. The S. Weir Mitchell Award is presented annually for the best neuroscience project by a physician who has recently completed training in neurology. Dr. Baloh is an Instructor in the Department of Neurology, Hope Center, and the Neuromuscular Division. Read More >

A research team including Hope Center member Dr. Susan McKinnon has found a better way to repair injured nerves. Read More >

The third annual Evening of Hope Gala, May 14, 2007, starred world renowned pianist Misha Dichter appearing with concertmaster David Halen and members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra: Mike Chen (viola), Heidi Harris (violin) and Daniel Lee (cello). Read More >

Dr. William H. Danforth, Chancellor Emeritus of Washington University, was presented with the inaugural Christopher Hobler Spirit of Hope Award at an Evening of Hope, a gala dinner and concert Monday, May 14, 2007 at Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis. The award from Hope Happens honors Dr. Danforth’s support of medical research of neurological diseases. Read More >

Jean Maritz Hobler, a major philanthropist , the founder of the ALS Hope Foundation (now Hope Happens), as well as a board and committee member of numerous non-profit organizations in the St. Louis community, was honored for her tremendous volunteer efforts at the 52nd Annual Women of Achievement Luncheon on Tuesday May 15th at the Ritz Carlton in Clayton. Read More >

In addition to his role in promoting research science, Hope Center Director, Mark Goldberg, MD, also creates internet resources to educate patients, families, and health professionals about brain diseases. Read More >

A new research publication advances the link between stress and Alzheimer's Disease. The project was directed by Dr. David Holtzman, Hope Center steering committee chair and Head of the Department of Neurology. Read More >

Hope Center member Susan Mackinnon, M.D. is an expert in surgical repair of injured nerves. She has been elected president of the American Association of Plastic Surgeons. Read More >

The Hope Center is pleased to announce that Fernanda Laezza and Biyu He are the winners of Hope Center prizes for the Fall of 2006. Read More >

Dr. Dennis Choi has been selected to lead two major neuroscience initiatives at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Choi was Chair of the Department of Neurology at Washington University from 1991 until 2001. He was founding director of the Center for the Study of Nervous System Injury, which led in part to the creation of the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders in 2005. Read More >

Philip Bayly and colleagues hope that an understanding of mechanisms which underlie folding of the brain will provide an understanding of disorders such as schizophrenia, autism and lissencephaly. Read More >

The Hope Center for Neurological Disorders is pleased to announce that Anneliese Schaefer, JD, PhD, research assistant professor of neurology, has accepted the position of Deputy Director. Read More >

Hope Center researcher Alan Pestronk, M.D., tests new drug to treat degenerative disease. Read More >

A team led by Hope Center investigator, Dr. Guojun Bu, has revealed a connection between cholesterol processing and the toxic Alzheimer's protein, amyloid. Read More >

A team lead by Hope Center Member Alison M. Goate, D.Phil, has identified a gene that appears to be associated with a higher risk for Alzheimer's Disease. Read More >

Research reveals that levels of amyloid beta can be decreased by pharmacologically blocking endocytosis or nerve cell communication. Read More >

The Hope Center is pleased to announce the winners of the 4th Annual Hope Center Awards Competition. Read More >

The fourth annual Evening of Hope Gala on May 14, 2008 starred world-famous violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, “Goddess of Fire,” in an exclusive performance accompanied by pianist Peter Henderson. Read More >

The goal of the Center for Computational Biology (CCB) is to provide a common intellectual ground for biomolecular modeling and a shared infrastructure to support computational research. Read More >

The Hope Center's Program in Protein Folding and Neurodegeneration will have a new home in the BJC Institute of Health. Read More >

Dr. Mark Goldberg and Dr. Eugene Johnson were recently selected by Washington University medical students to receive Distinguished Service Teaching Awards. Read More >

Hope Center Investigator Dr. Michael Crowder works with microscopic worms able to survive in a low-oxygen environment. His research could help develop more effective therapies for conditions such as stroke and heart attack. Read More >

Hope Center Scientist Dr. Brad Schlagger and his collaborators are examining the functional connections between different brain areas in individuals with Tourette’s. The discovery that these connections appear immature or irregular may eventually make it possible to treat the causes – rather than just the symptoms – of the disease. Read More >

Hope Center Investigators Dr. Sheng-Kwei Song and Dr. Anne Cross have identified an imaging approach that can lead to earlier diagnosis of optic nerve inflammation in multiple sclerosis. In addition to helping with diagnosis and treatment, this finding could also lead to better assessment of MS attacks throughout the brain and spinal cord. Read More >

Pain and itch have classically been considered as different severities which are controlled by the same pathways. In recent studies, Zhou-Feng Chen has determined that pain and itch are regulated by distinct molecular mechanisms. Read More >

Clubfoot is one of the most common birth defects. Christina Gurnett and other investigators identified a homeobox protein that is linked to clubfoot, indicating a defect in early limb development. Read More >

Ralph G. Dacey Jr., M.D., the Henry G. and Edith R. Schwartz Professor and chair of neurological surgery, has been named president of the American Academy of Neurological Surgeons, a national organization for the leaders of academic and hospital neurological surgery departments. Read More >

Hope Center member Philip Bayly, Ph.D., the Lilyan and E. Lisle Hughes Professor of Mechanical Engineering, was recently appointed the chair of the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Structural Engineering. Read More >

Hope Center member Brad Schlaggar, MD, PhD, has been named the new A. Ernest and Jane G. Stein Professor of Developmental Neurology. Read More >

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is linked to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s Disease. In exploring this relationship, Hope Center investigators including David L. Brody, M.D., Ph.D., Gregory J. Zipfel, M.D., and David M. Holtzman, M.D., monitored rapid changes in amyloid in TBI patients, and found that amyloid levels increase during recovery from TBI. Read More >

David M. Holtzman, M.D., the Andrew B. and Gretchen P. Jones Professor and Chair of Neurology, has been elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. Holtzman is among 65 newly elected medical scientists who will provide advice on matters of biomedical science, medicine, and health to policy-makers, health professionals, and the public at large. Read More >

When David Christopher Brooks was 4 months old, his mother noticed that he wasn’t moving his arms and legs and kept his hands balled up into fists. Read More >

Research shows that diseases of the brain, spinal cord and nerves have common threads that can only be discovered on a fundamental level. When we understand these shared disease pathways, we can begin to find cures. Read More >

Elisa Reeves of Hope Happens interviewed Dr. Timothy Miller, MD/PhD, Assistant Professor of Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine, about joining the Hope Center faculty and his ALS research. Miller is the first director of the Christopher Wells Hobler Laboratory for ALS Research. Read More >