News

Monday, February 15, 2021
Why antipsychotic meds lead to weight gain and diabetes

A report in Translational Psychiatry shows antipsychotics block dopamine in the pancreas, and cause overproduction of blood glucose-regulating hormones.   Learn More

Monday, February 8, 2021
Fetal surgery for spina bifida leads to better mobility

Amy Houtrow and colleagues report in JAMA Pediatrics the multiple benefits of not waiting until after birth to repair a myelomeningocele. Learn More

Wednesday, February 3, 2021
Why antihistamines don't stop the itch after spinal morphine injection

Sarah Ross and colleagues identify spinal cord neurons responsible for an itchy sensation from an epidural, and suggest that the drug nalfurafine may halt the itch without reducing pain relief. Learn More

Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Scientists activate arm, hand muscles with epidural electrical stimulation

Marco Capogrosso and colleagues report in Nature Communications on a technology to improve upper-limb movements in individuals with paralysis. Learn More

Wednesday, January 13, 2021
FDA and Pitt announce collaboration to help restore vision

Joining forces with the FDA is expected to speed availability of augmented reality headsets or brain stimulation to help people with low vision “see” their surroundings. Learn More

Thursday, December 3, 2020
Sleep-wake gene mutation leads to cocaine addiction in mice

Colleen McClung, Lauren DePoy and colleagues find a molecular basis for the connection between disruption of circadian rhythms and predisposition to substance abuse. Learn More

Wednesday, November 11, 2020
Why a light touch can cause great pain: Solving the mystery of mechanical allodynia

In a paper in Neuron, Rebecca Seal's lab describes how the nature of an injury defines the spinal circuitry in the dorsal horn that results in extreme reactions to innocuous stimuli.   Learn More

Wednesday, November 11, 2020
Journal of Neuroscience: The neurokinin-1 receptor and itch circuitry

Sarah Ross and colleagues have identified a new group of neurons in the spinal cord that transmit and process the message of an itchy sensation on the skin. Learn More

Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Ben Handen heads $109M U grant to study dementia biomarkers

The NIH funding expands research on the biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease in adults with Down syndrome, who are at high risk of developing dementia starting in their late 40s. Learn More

Monday, October 19, 2020
Imaging study: Dementia risk may be lower in socially engaged people in their 80s

Cynthia Felix and her public health colleagues find that a healthy social life appears to protect against loss of gray matter integrity. Learn More

Monday, October 19, 2020
PittMed: How neurons help regulate imflammation

Immunologist Daniel Kaplan and neuroscientists Kathryn Albers and Brian Davis use optogenetics to study protective immunity that is triggered by pain-sensing neurons in the skin. Learn More

Friday, October 16, 2020
Study shows cocaine induces astrocytes to form new synapses

Yan Dong and colleagues report that blocking the formation of these synapses in the nucleus accumbens appears to have an effect in a rodent model of addiction.  Learn More

Monday, October 12, 2020
Dopamine genotype linked to walking speed in adults over 65

Caterina Rosano and colleagues found a genetic predisposition to produce more or less dopamine is related to mobility during normal aging, even in elderly adults who are considered frail.  Learn More

Tuesday, September 29, 2020
$14M grant funds sleep studies in at-risk teens

Colleen McClung and Daniel Buysse will head the new Center for Adolescent Reward, Rhythms and Sleep, funded by NIDA to study teens at risk of substance abuse.  Learn More

Thursday, September 24, 2020
Silva to study blood-brain barrier dysfunction in dementia model

Afonso Silva's team has a $2.6M million grant to investigate the effects of protein aggregation around cerebral blood vessels in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Learn More

Thursday, September 17, 2020
Blood test could detect severity of brain injury in minutes

A study led by David Okonkwo advanced findings that suggest that testing blood for glial fibrillary acidic protein can quickly determine the severity of a brain injury. Learn More

Friday, September 11, 2020
WFMZ: Kids who learn self control have positive brain changes into adulthood

Jamie Hanson and colleagues found enhanced connectivity in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of at-risk participants in a family-intervention program.     Learn More

Wednesday, September 2, 2020
Distinguished lecture series launches today with Nii Addy at Yale

This year's six lectures, hosted by the departments of neurobiology and neuroscience, are going virtual but are still highly interactive, and include speakers from Stanford, EPFL, and Columbia.  Learn More

Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Study: Neurons that suppress muscle activity enable precise movement

Darcy Griffin and Peter L. Strick report in Science Advances that a special subset of neurons in primary motor cortex "sculpt' patterns of motor output by actively turning muscles on or off.  Learn More

Friday, August 21, 2020
US NEWS: Pitt neurologist studies how Covid-19 may damage brain

Shelly Chou asks which neural effects are caused directly by infection with the virus, and which are due to the body's immune response.  Learn More

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