News

Wednesday, December 28, 2022
New blood test detects brain-derived tau linked to Alzheimer’s

Thomas Karikari reports in Brain that the biomarker outperforms current blood tests in the hunt for a diagnostic method for Alzheimer's-specific neurodegeneration without expensive imaging. Learn More

Thursday, December 15, 2022
Forehead device measures brain pressure in seconds

Michael McDowell and colleagues created a business card-sized strip that can be used to detect near infrared light bounced off of the brain through the skin and skull. Learn More

Thursday, December 8, 2022
Genetic vulnerability to ADHD signals later risk of Alzheimer’s

Tharick Pascoal and colleagues found higher polygenic risk scores for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can predict cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s brain pathophysiology in the elderly. Learn More

Tuesday, November 8, 2022
New evidence of neuroplasticity in teen frontal cortex

Bea Luna and colleagues found age-related changes in the balance of inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters in a brain area key to cognition, decision making, and moderating social behavior. Learn More

Wednesday, November 2, 2022
Michael J. Fox Foundation honors PIND director

Watch video: Why the 2022 Robert A. Pritzker Prize for Leadership in Parkinson's Research  was awarded to Tim Greenamyre, head of the Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases at Pitt. Learn More

Tuesday, November 1, 2022
NPR: Postive feedback prolongs ketamine's anti-depressant effect

Mood-lifting results lasted up to three months longer in patients who saw smiling faces and ego-boosting messages after a ketamine infusion, according to Rebecca Price and colleagues. Learn More

Friday, October 28, 2022
Pitt enrolling quadriplegic volunteers for trial of BCI device

The Stentrode, which is implanted in the motor cortex through the jugular vein, is designed for communicating with hands-free texts and email via a brain-computer interface.     Learn More

Friday, October 28, 2022
LiveLikeLou foundation funds postdoc for ALS research

As the first awardee, Daryl P. Fields will test spinal cord stimulators to try to modulate sensory neurons and slow the loss of muscle function in neurodegenerative disease. Learn More

Thursday, October 27, 2022
PNAS: Visual perception is highly plastic after hemispherectomy, with limits

People who as as children had half their brain removed to treat epilepsy could differentiate between pairs of words or faces about 80 percent of the time.   Learn More

Monday, October 24, 2022
Brain & Behavior Research Foundation honors two Pitt scientists

Peter Strick was awarded the Goldman-Rakic Prize for finding neural substrates for psychosomatic disease. Boris Birmaher received the Ruane Prize for work on bipolar spectrum disorders in teens. Learn More

Wednesday, October 19, 2022
PNAS: Molecular 'biases' might be exploitable for an Alzheimer's med

Amantha Thathiah's group targets proteins called G protein-coupled receptors, which can modify their activity based on signals received from their environment. Learn More

Monday, October 17, 2022
Gwendolyn Sowa elected to National Academy of Medicine

The chair of the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation studies the mechanobiology of the intervertebral disc and molecular biomarkers of low back pain. Learn More

Thursday, September 22, 2022
$6.8M NIH grant to fund molecular atlas of the brain

Bill Stauffer and colleagues plan to develop brain cell type-specific strategies for editing genes. The BioForge Initiative will handle production of gene-delivery vectors the team identifies. Learn More

Saturday, September 17, 2022
In BRAIN: Scientists identify zinc transporter key to myelin development

Quasar Padiath and colleagues are the first to definitively link  a mutation in a zinc transporter gene – in this case, TMEM163 –  to the development of a brain disorder. Learn More

Friday, September 9, 2022
In NATURE: How cells repair lysosomes so they can degrade molecular waste

Jay Xiaojun Tan and colleagues identify a mechanism, dubbed the PITT pathway, that may be compromised in degenerative brain diseases like Alzheimer's.    Learn More

Wednesday, September 7, 2022
Psychiatry awarded $16M NIMH center grant to target teen suicide

The Center of Excellence grant renewal focuses on Black and Hispanic youth. Learn More

Wednesday, September 7, 2022
Cell Reports: Somatostatin neurons cooperate in the cerebral cortex

Caroline Runyan says the way neurons interact as populations may be specialized for a brain region’s processing goals, such as for sensory processing or for holding information in memory. Learn More

Thursday, September 1, 2022
Pitt team among 8 invited to compete for $5M SPARC 'Neuromod Prize'

Changfeng Tai’s group is developing a multichannel, implantable device for sacral-pudendal neuromodulation to address bladder, bowel and sexual disorders. Learn More

Thursday, September 1, 2022
Julie Fiez tapped to lead the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition

The joint program with CMU has been dubbed “the world’s most exciting and neighborly playground for pioneering research and training in the neural basis of cognition.” Learn More

Thursday, August 18, 2022
Corina Bondi receives Rosalind Franklin award for neurotrauma research

Bondi was recognized for studies on executive-function impairment after traumatic brain injury, as well as her mentorship of trainees, and service to the National Neurotrauma Society. Learn More

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