News
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Many Parkinson's patients suffer from delusions and other psychotic problems, but no FDA-approved drugs have been available to treat them. Learn More
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
“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
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
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
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
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
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
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
"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
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
Retinal markers may provide an early diagnostic tool that could help arrest cognitive impairment when the first signs appear. Learn More
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