News

Tuesday, April 25, 2017
Post-Gazette: Aging Institute director talks about late-life mental health

Chip Reynolds, MD, takes part in a Q&A about depression, sleep, and suicide, which tend to manifest differently in older people than in younger populations. Learn More

Wednesday, April 19, 2017
NIHM supports expansion of gene sequencing in people with autism

Pitt is part of a consortium that investigates genes associated with autism. The group includes CMU, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the Broad Institute in Boston, and UCSF. Learn More

Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Study challenges overpruning hypothesis in schizophrenia

Findings related to primary auditory cortex in people with schizophrenia, by Matthew L. McDonald, PhD, and colleagues, appear in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Learn More

Tuesday, April 18, 2017
New brain research shows motor neurons adjust to control tasks

The findings of a joint Pitt/Carnegie Mellon study, which appear in eLife, should lead to improved reliability of brain-computer interfaces for people who cannot move. Learn More

Friday, April 14, 2017
Study shows 16% of children in ICUs have acute neurological conditions

Ericka Fink, MD, of Children's Hospital, who conducted the international survey, says there's a need for research on targeted neuroprotective therapies that could improve outcome. Learn More

Tuesday, April 11, 2017
WESA: Fighting memory loss with music, art and yoga

Pitt's new Brain Exercise and Training Program provides a platform for research on what works best to stave off cognitive decline, says co-director James Becker, PhD.   Learn More

Monday, April 10, 2017
Quick test may help alert doctors to brain bleeds in babies

An article in JAMA Pediatrics describes the science behind a new blood test to identify infants who may have bleeding of the brain from shaken-baby syndrome     Learn More

Monday, April 10, 2017
THE ATLANTIC: Trials and triumphs in making brain-computer interfaces work

The background stories of two paralyzed volunteers illustrate the remarkable progress in mind-controlled prosthetics, as well as the significant amount of research that lies ahead. Learn More

Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Pitt launches study of depression treatment for adults over 60

"Depressed older adults often see little benefit from the medications that we typically use,” says Jordan F. Karp, MD, lead researcher of the Pittsburgh study site. Learn More

Monday, April 3, 2017
Neurobiologists identify new brain pathway for control of hand movements

The neural pathway originates from the posterior parietal cortex, which scientists used to think was involved only in associating sensory inputs and building a representation of extrapersonal space. Learn More

Monday, April 3, 2017
STAT readers say Pitt's prosthetic arm that can 'feel' is top innovation of 2016

The first STAT Madness bracket pitted 32 discoveries published in peer-reviewed journals last year against one another to find the best new ideas in science and medicine. Learn More

Monday, April 3, 2017
WESA: What we can learn from family with gene mutation for Alzheimer's

Early intervention is the goal, says William Klunk, MD, PhD. Knowing who is destined to develop the disease, and who isn't, makes it easier to identify biomarkers that are present before symptoms. Learn More

Friday, March 31, 2017
Neuroprosthetics project makes it to finals in #STATMadness

The last bracket:  Pitt's work on restoring the sense of touch through a brain-computer interface is up against Michigan's sepsis test.  You can vote. Learn More

Friday, March 31, 2017
WQED: "Before Stage Four - Confronting Early Psychosis"

A Pittsburgh public television documentary features Pitt brain research that could help predict which teens will become psychotic, so that families can intervene early. Learn More

Tuesday, March 28, 2017
NEW YORK TIMES: Author Q&A on writing about early-onset Alzheimer's

Niki Kapsambelis talks about what she learned through interviews with a large family susceptible to the disease, and the Pitt research scientists who are trying to get to the bottom of it. Learn More

Monday, March 27, 2017
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: ALS lab is going strong, with funds from LiveLikeLou.org

Researchers try to keep certain proteins from entering the wrong parts of cells and then clumping in the brain and spinal cord, a process that appears to lead to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Learn More

Wednesday, March 15, 2017
WESA: Gene study sheds light on puzzling link between schizophrenia and arthritis

Psychiatry professor Vishwajit Nimgaonkar, MD, PhD, has found 29 genetic markers that help explain why people with rheumatoid arthritis rarely develop schizophrenia. Learn More

Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Pitt Med Q&A: How it feels to use brain-computer interfaces

The medical school magazine interviews Nathan Copeland about his role in a scientific "first": using a robotic arm that can sense touch. Learn More

Tuesday, March 14, 2017
NIH Director blogs about Brian Primack study of social media use

"Is social media making us lonelier?" Francis Collins asks, reacting to Pitt's national survey of young adults who are heavy users of platforms like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Learn More

Monday, March 13, 2017
Round 2 in #statmadness features Pitt neuroscience

Pitt's brain-controlled robotic arm vies against Northwestern's hyperelastic bone in STAT's sports-style bracket to name the “best innovation in science and medicine” of 2016. You can vote. Learn More

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