News

Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Trib-Review: Bioanalytical chemist lauded for Alzheimer's research

Renã Robinson, PhD, is named one of the nation's "Talented 12" by Chemical & Engineering News, for her work on what sets off the changes that lead to Alzheimer's disease. Learn More

Friday, September 2, 2016
Pitt awards six grants for Zika research

In the wake of no direct federal funding, Pitt funds studies of the mosquito-borne viral infection that produces microcephaly and raises risk of Guillain-Barre and other neurological disorders. Learn More

Monday, August 29, 2016
Playing with a concussion doubles recovery time for teen athlets

A study in the journal Pediatrics shows that continuing to play despite a concussion doubles recovery time and leads to worse short-term mental function than in those immediately removed from action. Learn More

Saturday, August 27, 2016
Robertson named to NIH neuroscience grant panel

Anne M. Robertson, PhD, professor of mechanical engineering, materials science and bioengineering, has been appointed to NIH's Neuroscience and Ophthalmic Imaging Technologies Study Section. Learn More

Friday, August 26, 2016
The Atlantic: Why one neuroscientist started blasting his core

Peter L. Strick, PhD, discusses a new anatomical understanding of how movement controls the body’s stress response system. Learn More

Friday, August 26, 2016
PittMed cover story: José-Alain Sahel on restoring sight

Observers predict that the new ophthalmology chairman will build a Pittsburgh equivalent of his renowned Institut de la Vision, attracting researchers from all over the world.  Learn More

Monday, August 22, 2016
Post-Gazette: How Pitt researchers learned metabolism to blame for some depression

Psychiatrist Lisa Pan and geneticists Jerry Vockley and David Finegold looked at patients' cerebral spinal fluid for answers. Learn More

Monday, August 15, 2016
Pitt neuroscientists identify neural networks that connect cerebral cortex to adrenal medulla

The findings, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shed new light on how stress and depression can alter organ function. Learn More

Monday, August 15, 2016
Effects of frequent marijuana use last long after stopping

Teen boys who regularly use marijuana are at higher risk of paranoia and hallucinations, even a year after they stop using the drug, according to a study in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Learn More

Friday, August 12, 2016
Cortical biomarkers differentiate psychotic, bipolar disorders

Presence of certain biomarkers in patients with schizophrenia, as well as schizoaffective or bipolar disorders, suggests heightened risk of cognitive impairment that might be treatable.   Learn More

Friday, August 12, 2016
Correcting metabolic deficiencies shows promise for treatment-resistant depression

Research in the American Journal of Psychiatry shows that identifying metabolic deficiencies in patients with unrelieved depression can lead to major improvement, even remission. Learn More

Monday, August 8, 2016
Commentary: Zika spreads through routine travel, so stop focusing on Rio

Infectious-disease specialist Amesh Adalja, MD, says pregnant women are the only ones who should avoid attending the Olympics, to prevent any chance of newborns with microcephaly. Learn More

Monday, August 8, 2016
Alzheimer Disease Research Center issues call for pilot proposals

Letters of intent are due on October 7 for seed grants up to $25K.  Awards will go to novel proposals that are considered likely to receive subsequent external, peer-reviewed funding. Learn More

Monday, August 1, 2016
Surprise! "Uh" and "um" may help people remember what you say

Scott Fraundorf, PhD, of the Learning Research and Development Center explains the upside of these sometimes annoying conversational fillers, in the Journal of Memory and Language. Learn More

Wednesday, July 27, 2016
NIH study to focus on conversation, not vocal exercises, for patients with voice impairment

The study is the first to look at a voice therapy program based in theories of motor learning and neuroplasticity, developed with input from patients and expert speech-language pathologists. Learn More

Tuesday, July 26, 2016
NYT Well: Hot flashes fall into four types, according to NIH study

Lead author Rebecca Thurston, PhD, professor of psychiatry, says the 22-year study explodes the myth that hot flashes last just a few years and that women all follow the same pattern. Learn More

Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Trib-Review: What the discovery of 97 new brain areas really means

Julie Fiez, PhD, says brain researchers now have an imaging tool that can be used to fractionate a living brain into functional areas, with more exquisite detail than ever before. Learn More

Monday, July 25, 2016
NYT: Personality change may be early sign of dementia

Take note if a family member stops doing something they always enjoyed, like baking a certain Thanksgiving dessert or tinkering with the lawn mower in springtime, says Mary Ganguli, MD. Learn More

Friday, July 22, 2016
Aspen Brain Lab to feature work by Alzheimer's researcher Amantha Thathiah

Hear one the Brain Institute's newest recruits discuss a new approach for to a potential cure for Alzheimer's, on Aspen public radio. Learn More

Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Q&A about what happens in the brain when we read

Avriel Ghuman, PhD, discusses how a study in PNAS that used invasive electrophysiology techniques sheds light on literacy and reading disorders.   Learn More

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