News

Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Brent, Rosano inducted into societies for clinical investigators

David A. Brent, MD, has been inducted into the Association of American Physicians, and Caterina Rosano, MD, MPH, has been inducted into the American Society for Clinical Investigation. Learn More

Saturday, April 16, 2016
PRI's Science Friday: Many questions about how Zika virus causes brain damage

Hear Carolyn Coyne, PhD, associate professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, discuss what's known -- and what's not -- about how the virus passes from mother to infant. Learn More

Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Franzen, McClung awarded 2016 NARSAD grants

Two Pitt researchers have received 2016 NARSAD Independent Investigator Grants for separate studies that involve sleep disturbances in subjects who are mentally ill. Learn More

Wednesday, April 13, 2016
CBS Evening News: Researchers learning more about Zika virus every day

Scientists like Ernesto Marques in the School of Public Health are finding neurological effects in adults as well as brain defects in newborns. Learn More

Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Certain cells seem to protect placenta from Zika virus

Trophoblasts are the baby's first line of defense against Zika, according to a study in Cell Host & Microbe.The virus can cause severe brain defects if contracted in utero. Learn More

Wednesday, April 6, 2016
A single question can screen for problem drinking in teens

Youth are frank when asked about drinking habits, according to a team led by Duncan Clark, MD, PhD. Their study found that 10 percent over age 14 met the criteria for alcohol use disorder. Learn More

Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Ahmari honored for OCD research using optogenetics

Susanne E. Ahmari, MD, PhD, will receive the Carnegie Science Award for Emerging Female Scientist for her work in revealing the mechanisms of obsessive compulsive disorder. Learn More

Thursday, March 31, 2016
David Brent heads FDA panel that backs pyschosis drug for Parkinson's

Many Parkinson's patients suffer from delusions and other psychotic problems, but no FDA-approved drugs have been available to treat them. Learn More

Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Team redesigns epilepsy drug to raise potency and specificity, cut side effects

The new drug, “RL-81," is a more effective version of retigabine, which doesn't work in a third of patients, and can lead to retinal abnormalities, urinary retention and skin discoloration.   Learn More

Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Long-term use of heartburn meds may increase risk of dementia

“If you don’t need the drug, don’t use it," says Lewis H. Kuller, MD, whose recent editorial in JAMA warns about associations, if not outright links, between acid reducers and Alzheimer's. Learn More

Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Social media use linked to depression in young adults

The first large, nationally representative study, led by Brian Primack, MD, PhD, examined associations between use of a broad range of social media outlets and depression among people aged 19 to 32. Learn More

Sunday, March 20, 2016
WQED: The troubling truth about teens and sleep

Watch scientists as they create a sleep program for teenagers and visit Pitt’s Sleep Lab for a look at the research that shows how lack of sleep affects teens and behavior. Learn More

Friday, March 18, 2016
SELF: This time-lapse map shows when Zika could reach your city

Infectious disease specialist Amesh Adalja, MD, has tips for lowering risk of contracting the mosquito-borne virus, which appears to be linked to microcephaly and other brain defects in newborns. Learn More

Thursday, March 17, 2016
Psychology Today: How does anxiety short circuit decison-making?

Anxiety disengages specific neurons in subregions of the prefrontal cortex and can lead to poor choices, according to a study in the Journal of Neuroscience led by Bita Moghaddam, PhD. Learn More

Tuesday, March 15, 2016
NYT Ask Well: Can naps make up for sleep deficits?

Bad idea, says Daniel J. Buysse, MD, UPMC Endowed Chair in Sleep Medicine.  In fact, substituting periodic naps for one consolidated night of sleep creates severe sleep deprivation. Learn More

Friday, March 11, 2016
Post-Gazette: Physical activity maintains brain volume in key areas used for cognition

The more calories burned by participants in the 30-year Cardiovascular Health Study, the more likely that multiple parts of their brains retained gray matter, says neuropsychologist Jim Becker, PhD. Learn More

Thursday, March 10, 2016
OD death rate climbing fast -- especially among white women

"Drug overdoses are the biggest problem facing our nation in terms of years of life lost—more than car crashes, or cancer, or HIV," says study co-author Donald S. Burke, MD.   Learn More

Thursday, March 10, 2016
CELL Perspective on movement: How the brain communicates with the world

Neurobiologist Andy Schwartz, PhD, discusses the experimental and theoretical underpinnings of current models of movement generation and the way they are modulated by external information. Learn More

Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Trib Review: Eye study examines cognitive decline in people with diabetes

Retinal markers may provide an early diagnostic tool that could help arrest cognitive impairment when the first signs appear. Learn More

Friday, March 4, 2016
SLATE: Is it time to start reach-training your baby?

A Pitt study suggests that putting Velcro mittens on babies so they can grasp toys earlier leads to more advanced motor skills and longer attention spans by the time they are toddlers. Learn More

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