News

Wednesday, February 10, 2016
NPR: Virus profilers race to figure out what makes Zika tick

Microbiologist Carolyn Coyne beats the back orders for samples of the virus, which may be linked to microcephaly and other brain defects in infants. Learn More

Saturday, February 6, 2016
Infectious-disease specialist lauds Florida for declaring Zika virus a public health emergency

The move gives the state time to get its mosquito population under control, says Amesh Adalja, MD. For now, pregnant women may still safely travel to Florida. Learn More

Friday, February 5, 2016
Avoiding pregnancy from March to May may be best advice for preventing problems with Zika virus

Vaccine researcher Ernesto  Marques, MD, PhD, explains to the New York Times why spring is the critical time for women to prevent potential brain defects in newborns. Learn More

Friday, February 5, 2016
USA TODAY: Urban on brain injuries that can be diagnosed only after death

Digital imaging that can detect telltale proteins may turn out to be the best bet for diagnosing extent of damage in a living brain, says Nathan Urban, PhD -- but that kind of tool is years off. Learn More

Thursday, February 4, 2016
Certain common viral Infections linked to mental decline in older adults

The good news is that these viral infections can be treated and even prevented, notes senior investigator Mary Ganguli, MD, professor of psychiatry. Learn More

Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Cui elected to College of Fellows of AIMBE

The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering limits fellows to the top 2% of the nation's bioengineers.Tracy Cui, PhD, develops biosensors and technology for neural interfaces.   Learn More

Wednesday, February 3, 2016
PNAS: Team describes distinctive structure of brain plaques in Huntington's

Patrick C.A. van der Wel, Ph.D., and colleagues used advanced nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to reveal levels of detail that could prove useful for creation of a designer drug. Learn More

Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Scientists, what's your solution to ease the burden of pain?

Brief pre-applications for a Pain Research Challenge grant are due on Feb. 29. Three Pitt projects will be funded. Focus is on dynamics and causes of pain or ways to alleviate it. Learn More

Friday, January 29, 2016
Is the Zika virus contagious?

The short answer is no, according to Infectious-disease specialist Amesh Adalja, who breaks down how the virus is spread for Yahoo Health. Zika has been linked to severe brain damage in newborns. Learn More

Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Study shows Americans ignore dosage labels for OTC pain pills

Scott Drab, PharmD, tells NBC's Today Show that taking too much over-the-counter pain medication can lead to a long list of ills, including heartburn and stomach ulcers. Learn More

Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Hockey players in middle school get more concussions than older teens

A study in Pediatrics showed that inexperience, combined with differences in body size and strength among agemates, put younger kids at higher risk of collisions that cause concussion. Learn More

Monday, January 25, 2016
Concussion expert selected for federal review roundtable

Listen on 90.5 WESA to an interview with Micky Collins, PhD, who directs the UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program. Congressional leaders are conducting a broad review on head trauma.   Learn More

Sunday, January 24, 2016
HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING: Cover story spotlights hippocampus in epilepsy

Mark Richardson, MD, PhD, Mike Modo,PhD, and colleagues use a novel approach to find aberrant connections in certain hippocampal structures in a patient with temporal lobe epilepsy.  Learn More

Saturday, January 23, 2016
Study aims to tease out link between Zika virus and microcephaly in babies

Microbiologist Ernesto Marques, MD, PhD, plans to enroll hundreds of newborns from hard-hit Pernambuco, Brazil, and look for traces of Zika in birth fluids as well as maternal and infant tissues.   Learn More

Saturday, January 23, 2016
NBC Today Show: Memory styles can differ like personality traits do

Marc Coutanche, PhD, talks about the differences between people who remember an event in rich, sensory detail, and those who can rattle off baseball statistics. Learn More

Friday, January 22, 2016
Strick named to PNAS editorial board

Brain Institute Scientific Director Peter L. Strick, PhD, has been named Member Editor of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).  PNAS is among the most-cited science journals. Learn More

Friday, January 22, 2016
Pitt chemist gets $1.7M grant to study Alzheimer's proteins in peripheral organs

Renã Robinson, PhD, and colleagues will measure the effects of amyloid-beta proteins on organs such as the liver. They hope to create a tool to treat Alzheimer's by targeting non-brain tissue.   Learn More

Friday, January 22, 2016
WALL STREET JOURNAL: Brain training relieves anxiety and depression

Kymberly Young, PhD, studies the use of neurofeedback with real-time scans to teach patients to try to change how they think.  Young will join the psychiatry faculty in April. Learn More

Thursday, January 21, 2016
Findings shed light on why stroke risk rises after menopause

Pharmacologist Edwin Jackson, PhD, and colleagues suggest that a protective compound called 2-methoxyestradiol could help women -- and men -- following stroke and other types of brain injury. Learn More

Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Scientists to look at Alzheimer’s biomarkers in Down syndrome

Psychiatry professor Benjamin Handen, PhD, heads a $12.5M study to explore why amyloid deposits can be present in people with Down's syndrome for many years without causing dementia. Learn More

Pages