General

Since it debuted in 2011, the Get SET Early program, which provides pediatricians and parents with a relatively simple process to screen for indicators of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children as young as age 1, has steadily grown in use and validation. Early screening and identification of ASD has […]

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have laid the groundwork for a potential new type of gene therapy using novel CRISPR-based techniques. Working in fruit flies and human cells, research led by UC San Diego Postdoctoral Scholar Zhiqian Li in Division of Biological Sciences Professor Ethan Bier’s laboratory […]

New research at Karolinska Institutet suggests a link between psychosis and a genetic change that affects the brain's immune system. The study published in Molecular Psychiatry may impact the development of modern medicines for bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Psychosis affects approximately 2-3 per cent of the population and is characterized […]

Targeting a heat production ‘brake’ on fat tissues may be a safer way to treat obesity than current medication. A receptor that helps conserve energy when food is scarce may be the key to a safer approach to treating diet-induced obesity, research led by the Garvan Institute of Medical Research […]

Neglect, calamitous events or even abuse: traumatic childhood experiences increase the risk of mental and physical illness and can lead to psychiatric disorders later in life. But how do stressful events early in life persistently affect brain functions? What happens in a child’s nerve cells when fear and stress overwhelm […]

Sleep is very important for us and you know it. If you don’t get a good night’s sleep, you definitely feel it. Duration of sleep is important, but other factors play a huge role as well. For example, interruptions. A new study from the University of Adelaide has revealed that […]

Is there any hope for people who are suffering from incurable diseases? Modern medicine shed light in the darkness in the form of a novel therapy, gene therapy. Gene therapy is a relatively new experimental technique, which uses the gene to treat, prevent or limit illness development. It is based […]

Simultaneous measurement of neural rhythms and spikes across five brain areas reveals how propofol induces unconsciousness. In a uniquely deep and detailed look at how the commonly used anesthetic propofol causes unconsciousness, a collaboration of labs at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT shows that as the […]

Ask Paul Guenard how he’s doing and he’ll tell you, “Not bad for a guy who’s supposed to be dead!” While he laughs as he says it, Guenard did indeed face death six years ago when he underwent a stem cell transplant to treat mantle cell lymphoma. Afterwards, he said, […]

Investigational gene therapy can safely restore the immune systems of infants and children who have a rare, life-threatening inherited immunodeficiency disorder, according to research supported in part by the National Institutes of Health. The researchers found that 48 of 50 children who received the gene therapy retained their replenished immune […]

Americans are in chronic pain, and a comprehensive new study exploring trends in this major public health concern reveals that what has been a long-standing and under-acknowledged problem is getting substantially worse. The findings, published in the latest issue of the journal Demography, suggest blanket increases across multiple measures, with pain rising […]

Scientists at UC San Francisco are learning how immune cells naturally clear the body of defunct – or senescent – cells that contribute to aging and many chronic diseases. Understanding this process may open new ways of treating age-related chronic diseases with immunotherapy. In a healthy state, these immune cells […]