Author: The SOURCE/Medicine & Health

Racism packs a punch for those enduring it over a lifetime

Black Americans die younger than their white counterparts, with an estimated 1.63 million “excess” deaths having occurred between 1999 and 2020, according to research in the Journal of the American Medical Association. These excess deaths are predominantly attributable to chronic conditions such as heart disease and cancer. In a new study published in JAMA Network Open, researchers at […]

Mapping the dance of circadian synchrony

What makes someone a “morning lark” or a “night owl?” Why does jet lag hit us so hard, and why do some people struggle each winter with seasonal affective disorder? Clues to these puzzles may lie in a tiny brain region called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the body’s central circadian pacemaker. The SCN contains thousands […]

$5 million for brain development and Alzheimer’s degeneration study

NIH), to examine how early-life stress on the developing brain can influence brain aging and the progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Adverse circumstances in the first years of life — such as low birth weight, poverty, unsafe living conditions and exposure to trauma — are known to alter the development of certain brain […]

Understanding intrinsically disordered protein regions and their roles in cancer

Every function in a cell is associated with a particular protein or group of proteins, typically in a well-defined three-dimensional structure. However, intrinsically disordered regions of proteins defy this structure-function paradigm. A team of researchers in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis has developed an algorithm to understand how intrinsically […]

Timing may be key to effective cancer treatments

When doctors biopsy and treat cancer may be just as important as how they treat it. New research from Erik Herzog, PhD, the Viktor Hamburger Distinguished Professor in biology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, revealed that when a treatment is given may play a key role in how well brain cancer […]

Study sheds light on how pediatric brain tumors grow

The most common type of brain tumor in children, pilocytic astrocytoma (PA), accounts for about 15% of all pediatric brain tumors. Although this type of tumor is usually not life-threatening, the unchecked growth of tumor cells can disrupt normal brain development and function. Current treatments focus mainly on removing the tumor cells, but recent studies […]

Immune ‘bouncers’ protect the brain from infection

The itching, redness and swelling of an allergic reaction are caused by mast cells — the vigilant first responders of the immune system that spring into action with histamine-filled granules in response to a perceived threat. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have revealed that the same cells that cause misery […]

Brain pathway links inflammation to loss of motivation, energy in advanced cancer

The fatigue and lack of motivation that many cancer patients experience near the end of life have been seen as the unavoidable consequences of their declining physical health and extreme weight loss. But new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis challenges that long-held assumption, showing instead that these behavioral changes stem […]

Highly accurate blood test diagnoses Alzheimer’s disease, measures extent of dementia

A newly developed blood test for Alzheimer’s disease not only aids in the diagnosis of the neurodegenerative condition but also indicates how far it has progressed, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Lund University in Sweden. Several blood tests for Alzheimer’s disease are already clinically […]

$4.5 million supports pathbreaking neuroimmunology research

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has received a three-year $4.5 million grant from the Carol and Gene Ludwig Family Foundation, aimed at advancing research on neuroimmunology and neurodegeneration with the ultimate goal of developing new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. Administered by WashU Medicine’s Brain Immunology & Glia (BIG) Center, the Carol and Gene […]

WashU Medicine launches center for rare diseases

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has launched the Center for Rare, Undiagnosed and Genetic Diseases, supported by an $8.5 million grant from Children’s Discovery Institute (CDI), a partnership with St. Louis Children’s Hospital, St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation and WashU Medicine. The new center brings together WashU Medicine researchers and the rare […]

Patient defies genetic fate to avoid Alzheimer’s

Remarkably, Doug Whitney, 75, has escaped genetic destiny. Like many members of his family, Whitney inherited a rare genetic mutation that all but guarantees he would develop early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. But Whitney, whose relatives first showed symptoms of cognitive decline in their early 50s, remains mentally sharp with no signs of the devastating disease, and […]

Fatal neurodegenerative disease in kids also affects the bowel

As a leading researcher of rare diseases that affect children’s brains, Jonathan D. Cooper, PhD, thought little about the gastrointestinal (GI) system. That is, until the parents of children with a condition that Cooper studies urged him to investigate why debilitating digestive issues troubled their kids, who suffer from an incurable and fatal neurodegenerative brain condition […]

NIH grant funds study of cerebral small vessel disease

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have been awarded $7.5 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate a form of dementia caused by cerebral small vessel disease, the second-leading cause of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease. The grant funds the Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (VCID) Center, […]

Gratitude inspires generous support for WashU Medicine’s neurosurgery department

Andrew Taylor, an emeritus trustee of Washington University in St. Louis, and his wife, Barbara, have made a $50 million gift to WashU Medicine’s neurosurgery department to enhance groundbreaking research, innovative patient care and the training of the next generation of neurosurgery leaders. In recognition of the Taylors’ generosity, the department has been named the Taylor […]

Brain tumors hijack circadian clock to grow

Composite sketch photo concept abstract collage of arm hold magnifier glass study secrets of brain isolated creative drawing background

Virtually every cell in the human body has an internal clock. These clocks take their cues from a central clock in the brain. In a normal, biological process called synchrony, the central clock coordinates daily rhythms around the body, so that every cell and tissue recognizes the same external time of day. Knowing local time […]

Grant will fund development of vaccines to prevent dementia

Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia are devastating disorders that emerge following the buildup of misfolded proteins in the brain. The newest generation of Alzheimer’s therapeutics targets accumulations of the protein amyloid beta with engineered antibodies, but the results have been underwhelming, with some adverse effects, not to mention using engineered antibodies can be prohibitively expensive. […]

WashU researchers use genetics to find psychopathology risks

When trying to understand how genetic influences factor into youth behavior, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have taken the “big trawl” approach, casting their net wide to pull in all the measured traits, behaviors and environments that make up who we are and examine associations with the genetic building blocks comprising risk for […]

Researchers find biological clues to mental health impacts of prenatal cannabis exposure

Scientists are trying to understand how cannabis may affect long-term neurodevelopment when people were exposed to it in the womb. Previous work by Washington University in St. Louis researchers Sarah Paul and David Baranger in the Behavioral Research and Imaging Neurogenetics (BRAIN) lab led by Ryan Bogdan, PhD, found associations between prenatal cannabis exposure and potential mental health conditions in childhood […]

Gut bacteria boost immune response to fight tumors

Roughly one in five cancer patients benefits from immunotherapy – a treatment that harnesses the immune system to fight cancer. Such an approach to beating cancer has seen significant success in lung cancer and melanoma, among others. Optimistic about its potential, researchers are exploring strategies to improve immunotherapy for cancers that don’t respond well to […]

Neurons help flush waste out of brain during sleep

There lies a paradox in sleep. Its apparent tranquility juxtaposes with the brain’s bustling activity. The night is still, but the brain is far from dormant. During sleep, brain cells produce bursts of electrical pulses that cumulate into rhythmic waves — a sign of heightened brain cell function. But why is the brain active when we […]

Adding med to antidepressant may help older adults with treatment-resistant depression

For older adults with clinical depression that has not responded to standard treatments, adding the drug aripiprazole (brand name Abilify) to an antidepressant they’re already taking is more effective than switching from one antidepressant to another, according to a new multicenter study led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Aripiprazole originally was […]