Category: NeuroRestorative Therapy

New Technique for Diagnosing Brain Diseases is Successfully Put to the Test

Hong Chen, PhD, associate professor of biomedical engineering and radiation oncology at Washington University in St. Louis, is dedicated to what may seem like the impossible. “This constant puzzle of what’s happening in my brain.” Chen is referring to all human brains that share this complexity. And getting answers to serious problems can be very […]

NIH funds study of ultrasound with genetics to treat brain disorders

Researchers have developed methods to study and manipulate areas of the brain, though many of those methods are restricted by the limited depth that light can reach within the brain. A multidisciplinary team at Washington University in St. Louis plans to overcome that limitation by integrating ultrasound with genetics to precisely modify neurons in the […]

Induction of a torpor-like state with ultrasound

Some mammals and birds have a clever way to preserve energy and heat by going into torpor, during which their body temperature and metabolic rate drop to allow them to survive potentially fatal conditions in the environment, such as extreme cold or lack of food. While a similar condition was proposed for scientists making flights […]

Findings may lead to improved insulin-secreting cells derived from stem cells

Diabetes researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have uncovered at least one reason insulin-secreting cells made from stem cells in the lab don’t work as well as natural cells. The discovery could help speed progress toward making insulin-secreting cells — called islet beta cells — more effective in the treatment of […]

Insight into brain’s waste clearing system may shed light on brain diseases

Like the lymphatic system in the body, the glymphatic system in the brain clears metabolic waste and distributes nutrients and other important compounds. Impairments in this system may contribute to brain diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases and stroke. A team of researchers in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis has […]

Drug for rare form of ALS, based in part on WashU research, approved by FDA

A new drug has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a rare, inherited form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a paralyzing neurological disease. Known as tofersen, the drug has been shown to slow progression of the deadly disease. International clinical trials of tofersen, developed by the global biotechnology company Biogen Inc., […]

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 […]

Future Thoughts and Reason for Excitement in ALS: Timothy Miller, MD, PhD

“These trials don’t go without huge input and commitment from the participants and of course, their caregivers, and the clinical trial sites. I have the privilege of speaking to you about the trial as the lead author of this paper, but this is a team effort and includes a large group of people from multiple […]

Wearable ultrasound sensors for human brain in development

A submarine can inadvertently reveal its location because of cavitation, a condition that creates bubbles underwater that burst, then emit sound waves that can be detected by sonar. A team of biomedical engineers at Washington University in St. Louis plans to use the same concept to detect cavitation in human brains that may contribute to […]

Board grants faculty appointments, promotions, tenure

At the Washington University in St. Louis Board of Trustees meeting Oct. 1, numerous faculty members were appointed or promoted with tenure or granted tenure, effective that day. Promotion with tenure Su-Hsin Chang, PhD, to associate professor of surgery (public health services) at the School of Medicine; Milan G. Chheda, MD, to associate professor of medicine […]

New Brain Tumor Center at Siteman Cancer Center to be Part of Neuroscience Research Building

When a patient is informed of a brain tumor, the experience is frightening. “When anyone finds out they have a brain tumor. It is super scary,” described neurosurgeon and scientist Dr. Albert Kim, MD, PhD, the inaugural director of the new Brain Tumor Center at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes Jewish Hospital and Washington University […]

Board grants faculty appointments, promotions, tenure

At the Washington University in St. Louis Board of Trustees meeting May 7, numerous faculty members were appointed or promoted with tenure or granted tenure, effective July 1 unless otherwise indicated. Promotion with tenure Megan Tierney Baldridge, MD, PhD, to associate professor of medicine at the School of Medicine; Trevor G. Gardner II to professor of […]