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| 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | PMNC Newsletter - Spring 2009
2009 News Archives
December 28, 2009
David Dinges, PhD, chief of the division of Sleep and Chronobiology, is quoted in a Boston Globe article examining why some people can function with little sleep, while others require eight or more hours.
Click for article
December 23, 2009
A WHYY report looks at the challenges that pregnant women with medical conditions face, to balance their own health needs with those of the fetus. Deborah Kim, MD and C. Neill Epperson, MD were interviewed in the report, discussing the impact of mood disorders and medications on pregnant women and their fetuses.
Click for article - Dr. Kim interview
Click for article - Dr. Epperson web chat
December 23, 2009
Daniel D. Langleben, MD was quoted in a Washington Times article regarding recent studies performed by scientists from the University of Zurich which used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to tell whether someone intends to keep a promise.
Click for article
December 22, 2009
An article in the Philadelphia Business Journal reports that a minimally invasive, robotic surgical approach developed by head and neck surgeons at the Perelman School of Medicine, including Gregory S. Weinstein MD, FACS and Bert W. O’Malley Jr., MD, was cleared by the Food and Drug Administration.
Click for article
December 21, 2009
The research of Amita Sehgal, PhD, professor of Neuroscience, was described in articles appearing on the Daily News & Analysis and UPI news service sites. Dr. Sehgal
found that appetite and food consumption in the fruit fly are governed by two sets of circadian clocks with opposing effects.
Click for article - UPI
Click for article - DNA
December 21, 2009
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that autism affects about 1 in every 110 American children, a 57 percent increase over the last estimate in 2002, according to a report released last week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Penn and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia are part of a national study, funded by the CDC, which aims to determine the causes of autism.
Click for article
December 16, 2009
Amino acids improved cognitive function in mice who had a traumatic brain injury, according to a study led by Akiva S. Cohen, PhD in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Coverage has appeared in an Ivanhoe story, a Wall Street Journal blog, and The New Scientist.
Click for article - Ivanhoe
Click for article - Wall Street Journal
Click for article - The New Scientist
December 16, 2009
Many children who are born blind or lose their eyesight at a young age develop extraordinary musical abilities. In an interview on Doctor’s Radio, Eric Pierce, MD, PhD, associate professor of Ophthalmology with the F.M. Kirby Center for Molecular Ophthalmology Scheie Eye Clinic, notes that retinopathy in prematurity is becoming more common.
December 15, 2009
An article in Connections, a publication of the Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center, notes that the
Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, which includes a study published by Leslie Shaw, PhD, professor of Pathology and Lab Medicine, and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School,
is generating promising early findings.
Click for article
December 15, 2009
Murray Grossman, MD, professor of Neurology, is interviewed in a CNN American Morning segment discussing one man’s diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
Click for article
December 15, 2009
David Sarwer, PhD, associate professor of Psychology in Psychiatry and Surgery, is interviewed in a Forbes.com article which notes that risk-averse, depressed people have worse outcomes after many operations.
Click for article
December 14, 2009
Research by Charles O'Brien, MD, PhD, Joe Volpicelli, MD, PhD, and Penn colleagues at the VA Medical Center, which led to the discovery, FDA approvals, and widespread use of naltrexone to treat alcoholism, was highlighted in TIME magazine's "The Year in Health, A-Z". The article also features research by Amita Sehgal, PhD on genes that govern sleep in flies..
Click for article - "Alcoholism"
Click for article - "Fruit Fly"
December 14, 2009
Deborah Kim, MD was quoted in a Fort Worth Star-Telegram article reporting on transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy (TMS), one of psychiatry's newest tools in the treatment of severe depression that is unresponsive to medication.
Click for article
December 14, 2009
Mark Salzer, PhD, director and principal investigator of the Penn Collaborative and an associate professor of Psychiatry, is interviewed in a WHYY radio segment about the approach to mental health known as the recovery model, which stresses patient autonomy and quality of life, instead of merely controlling symptoms.
Click for article
December 10, 2009
In it's "Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs of the year", TIME magazine notes that, while the cause of autism and the recent rise in cases is still unclear, researchers and geneticists from the Perelman School of Medicine and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia this year identified one possible genetic clue.
Click for article
December 10, 2009
In The Scientist news blog, Robert Kalb, MD, associate professor of Neurology and chair of the National Institutes of Health's cellular and molecular biology of neurodegeneration study section, discusses the downside of the NIH's new, shortened grant applications.
Click for article
December 10, 2009
James Coyne, PhD was quoted in an article in Psychology Today’s “In the Trenches” blog. The article tells of how the field of neuropsychology has advanced our understanding of the brain and its neuroplastic ability to change structurally by interactions, thoughts and actions.
Click for article
December 10, 2009
Douglas Smith, MD, professor of Neurosurgery and director of the Center for Brain Injury and Repair, was interviewed in
the Philadelphia Metro regarding the dangers of concussions.
Click for article
December 8, 2009
Douglas Smith, MD, professor of Neurosurgery and director of the Center for Brain Injury and Repair, speaks on Cleveland’s public radio station, WCPN-FM 90.3 about concussions in football. Smith discusses how the brain is injured during rapid impact.
Click for article
December 8, 2009
The New York Times interviews A. Thomas McLellan, PhD, former professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania and co-founder of the Treatment Research Institute (TRI), about his new role as deputy director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Click for article
December 7, 2009
Stephen J. Morse, professor of law and psychiatry, was quoted in a New York Times article regarding the mental competence to stand trial of the man charged with the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart.
Click for article
December 4, 2009
Douglas Smith, MD, professor of Neurosurgery and director of the Center for Brain Injury and Repair, was featured on KYW Radio discussing the NFL's stricter concussion guidelines.
Click for article
November 30, 2009
Adrian Raine, DPhil, PIK professor of Criminology, Psychiatry and Psychology, who applies neuroscience techniques to study the causes and cures of crime, was quoted in a Wall Street Journal article discussing biological traits of psychopathic killers.
Click for article
November 30, 2009
David Dinges, PhD, chief of the Division of Sleep and Chronobiology, was quoted in an article in New Scientist regarding the relationship between sleep and memory.
Click for article
November 30, 2009
Annie Steinberg, MD, clinical associate professor of Psychiatry, was quoted in an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, which looks at a young man’s struggle with crime and mental illness.
Click for article
November 24, 2009
Douglas Smith, MD , professor of neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania and the head of the Penn Center for Brian Injury and Repair, was quoted in a Philadelphia Inquirer article regarding Boxer Francisco Rodriguez who died of a brain injury after collapsing following a fight.
Click for article
November 20, 2009
Governor Ed Rendell presents Pennsylvania's autism census, the first such report in the nation, on the Pennsylvania Cable Network, mentioning that the census was done by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, including David S. Mandell, ScD and Lindsay Lawer, MS.
November 18, 2009
In continuing coverage, Douglas Smith, MD , professor of neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania and the head of the Penn Center for Brian Injury and Repair, speaks with Philadelphia’s ESPN Radio (950AM/97.5FM) and the Philadelphia Inquirer, discussing Philadelphia Eagle Brian Westbrook’s second concussion in 20 days.
Click for article - Philadelphia Inquirer
Click for clip - ESPN Radio
November 18, 2009
According to a new study by Adrian Raine, D.Phil., PIK professor of Criminology, Psychiatry and Psychology and Yu Gao, PhD, research associate in the department of Criminology, poor fear conditioning at the tender age of 3 can predispose that person to break the law as an adult. Coverage has appeared in the New Scientist, Reuters, HealthDay, Los Angles Times blog, and CBS television stations in Philadelphia and New York, among others.
Click for article - HealthDay
Click for article - Reuters
November 17, 2009
Doug Smith, MD spoke with The Philadelphia Inquirer, NBC 10, and 6 ABC regarding concussion, in light of Brian Westbrook’s second concussion in as many games over three weeks. Dr. Smith notes that the threshold for subsequent concussions is lowered after the first concussion.
Click for article - Philadelphia Inquirer
Click for article - 6 ABC
November 16, 2009
A Boston Globe article highlights a new study in the American Journal of Psychiatry which suggests that young children who display abnormal fear responses might be predisposed to later criminal activity. Through their testing, Yu Gao, Adrian Raine, D.Phil., and colleagues found that children with poor fear responses were twice as likely to become criminals as those who showed normal responses.
Click for article
November 12, 2009
Michael Perlis, PhD, Behavioral Sleep Medicine expert and associate professor of Psychology in Psychiatry, is quoted in an Associated Press article discussing the placebo effect and its relationship with conditioning.
Click for article
November 12, 2009
Andrew Newberg, MD, director of the Penn Center for Spirituality and the Mind, was interviewed on the nationally syndicated John Tesh Radio Show, discussing his research about the effects of meditation and prayer ritual.
November 10, 2009
Failed dieters may be pushed to over-eat not by their stomachs, but by their brains, according to an Inside Science News article in which Charles O'Brien, MD, PhD is quoted.
Click for article
November 10, 2009
A 6 ABC segment highlights the ribbon cutting at the new NeuroIntensive Care Unit at HUP, noting that the Center combines the latest in technology to treat brain and spinal cord injuries, strokes, aneurisms, and brain tumors. It is also a centralized place for neurologists, neurosurgeons, anesthesiologists, radiologists and nurses to do joint care on patients who may be on the verge of life and death.
November 9, 2009
In a Philadelphia Inquirer article about a missing local woman who suffers from bipolar disorder, Christos Ballas, MD, clinical assistant professor of Psychiatry, spoke of the possible effects of mixing alcohol with standard bipolar medications.
Click for article
November 6, 2009
Brian Litt, MD, associate professor of Neurology and Bioengineering, was quoted in an article in MIT’s Technology Review, regarding the development of
biodegradable circuits which could enable better neural interfaces and LED tattoos.
Click for article
October 30, 2009
Douglas Smith, MD was quoted in an Alzheimer’s Daily News article that highlighted research by neuroscientists at the Perelman School of Medicine. The research found that the presence of a specific gene can predict when a traumatic brain injury (TBI) will lead to early symptoms of Alzheimer's.
Click for article
October 23, 2009
The research of Michael Perlis, PhD, Allen Pack, MD, PhD, Amita Sehgal, PhD, Susan Harbison, PhD, and Marcos Frank, PhD is highlighted in the Science News article “The Why of Sleep”. The piece talks about how studies in humans and animal models reveal the multi-purposes of sleep.
Click for article
October 23, 2009
Michael Perlis, PhD is quoted in the Science News article, "Sleep Gone Awry," which looks at causes and cures of sleep disorders.
Click for article
October 23, 2009
David F. Dinges, PhD, chief of the Division of Sleep and Chronobiology; and lab technician Christopher Jones are highlighted in the Science News article, "Dying to Sleep," which looks at new data about sleep’s benefits, suggesting that losing sleep might speed up death’s arrival or increase the risk of losing health.
Click for article
October 20, 2009
David F. Dinges, PhD was quoted in an article on Forbes.com, regarding the role of genes in sleep regulation and duration.
Click for article
October 20, 2009
Mark Salzer, PhD was featured on Dr. Dan Gottlieb's Voices in the Family: Living with Mental Illness on WHYY Radio. Dr. Salzer highlighted new mental illness initiatives, including a program he's involved with at Horizon House, called Education Plus, which provides supports for college students with serious mental illnesses.
Click for clip
October 12, 2009
Anjan Chatterjee, MD, professor of Neurology, is quoted in a Glamour magazine article looking at young women who have borrowed prescription drugs from a friend.
Click for article
October 9, 2009
Anna Childress, PhD was quoted in an article that ran in a dozen McClatchy newspapers, looking at the effects of dopamine, a natural brain chemical that's linked to pleasure, addiction and disease.
Click for article
October 6, 2009
Charles O’Brien, MD, PhD and Kyle Kampman, MD were quoted in articles from The New York Times and Associated Press, respectively, which reported that the vaccine-like shots developed to keep cocaine abusers from getting high also helped them fight their addiction in the first successful rigorous study of this approach to treating illicit drug use.
Click for article - NY Times
Click for article - Associated Press
October 5, 2009
Josep Dalmau, MD, PhD was mentioned in an article by a New York Post reporter who recounts her experience with autoimmune encephalitis.
Click for article
October 1, 2009
Caryn Lerman, PhD was quoted in a Globe and Mail (Toronto) article about whether stress can cause cancer, or even hasten a patient's death.
Click for article
September 30, 2009
Advice from Elna Yadin, PhD, coordinator of the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Clinic of the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety, is featured in a Philadelphia Inquirer story about people coping with hoarding, which is a type of obsessive compulsive disorder.
Click for article
September 29, 2009
Murray Grossman, MD, professor of Neurology, spoke with The Medical View radio show about frontotemporal dementia treatment and research at Penn.
Click for segment
September 28, 2009
M. Sean Grady, MD, chairman of the department of neurosurgery, was quoted in a HealthDay article regarding a new study which suggests that people who suffer serious head injuries are more likely to survive if they have alcohol in their bloodstream.
Click for article
September 15, 2009
EarthySky reports, David Dinges, PhD is working with the National Space Biomedical Research Institute to develop a test to help astronauts in space gauge their own stress and fatigue. This simple test could help astronauts gauge their fitness for performing critical tasks and could also be used in a number of contexts on Earth to evaluate ability to perform.
Click for article
September 14, 2009
John O'Reardon, MD was interviewed on a WHYY Radio segment regarding a new nationwide study using brain imaging to test patients' response to an anti-depressant one week after they started taking it.
Click for article
September 14, 2009
Philly.com notes that a Doylestown-based nonprofit organization, ADHD Aware, will hold its inaugural symposium on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder this fall as an educational opportunity for parents and the community. Russell Ramsay, PhD will speak at the Symposium about ADHD research and participate in a question-and-answer session with the audience.
Click for article
September 14, 2009
Clyde E. Markowitz, MD, director of the MS Center and Steven L. Galetta, MD, chief of neuro-ophthalmology are interviewed in an American College of Physicians Internist article about the challenges of correctly diagnosing multiple sclerosis (MS).
Click for article
September 11, 2009
Trevor Hadley, PhD, director of Penn’s Center for Mental Health Policy, is featured in a WHYY radio segment discussing how the passing of the mental health parity act last year fits into the health care reform discussions.
Click for segment
September 3, 2009
Josep Dalmau, MD, PhD is featured in an episode of the Discovery Health Channel’s “Mystery Diagnosis,” which explores the case of Kristin Gunther, who suffered seizures and delusional, aggressive behavior - stumping doctors elsewhere - before she was brought to HUP and diagnosed with an ovarian teratoma, a tumor made of tissues including fat, hair, teeth and bone. Dalmau’s research focuses on paraneoplastic neurologic disorders, which are caused by cancer-induced immunologic mechanisms that lead to severe neurologic symptoms like those Gunther experienced.
August 27, 2009
In a CNN.com article detailing Sen. Ted Kennedy’s battle with a form of brain cancer, Donald O'Rourke, MD discusses his team’s research on the first noninvasive technique to identify genetic mutations associated with glioblastomas.
Click for article
August 27, 2009
In a segment on 6 ABC, Kevin Judy, MD, associate professor of Neurosurgery, discusses the poor prognosis associated with glioblastomas. He notes that the tumor arises from brain tissue itself, making it especially aggressive.
Click for segment
August 27, 2009
Michael Perlis, PhD appears in a USA Today article, regarding treatment of insomnia and the benefits of using behavioral therapy in this treatment.
Click for article
August 25, 2009
Steven Arnold, MD was quoted in a Philadelphia Magazine web site article on Alzheimer's disease treatment in Philadelphia. The article, which features Penn programs including the Penn Memory Center and the Ralston Penn Center, states that "Penn is so in the forefront in research that it wouldn't be surprising if a cure for Alzheimer's or a breakthrough understanding of what causes the deterioration of brain cells in Parkinson’s disease came from these labs."
Click for article
August 19, 2009
Andrew Newberg, MD, director of Penn’s Center for Spirituality and the Mind, is featured in a Reuters news article reporting on meditation and
"neurotheology" - the study of the brain's role in religious belief. The article ran on FoxNews.com and the National Post.
Click for article
August 18, 2009
Robert Schnoll, PhD, assistant professor of Psychiatry and a member of the Abramson Cancer Center, was quoted in a Philadelphia Inquirer article regarding smoking cessation.
Click for article
August 18, 2009
The New York Times notes that a new Army program, which will require that all 1.1 million of its soldiers take intensive training in emotional resiliency, is based in part on the ideas of Aaron Beck, MD and the late Albert Ellis, who found that mentally disputing unexamined thoughts and assumptions often defuses them. The program is being led by a group of Penn psychologists from the Positive Psychology Center.
Click for article
August 17, 2009
Allan Pack, MD, ChB, PhD appeared on ABC’s World News Tonight discussing a sleep study that appeared in the most recent issue of Science. The study shows a genetic variation that appears to reduce the need for sleep. David Dinges, PhD also commented on these findings in Science News.
Click for article
August 17, 2009
John Trojanowski, MD, PhD comments in a Science article about emerging research that suggests that hard knocks on the field may cause delayed brain damage in retired athletes.
Click for article
August 13, 2009
A study, authored by Artur V. Cideciyan, PhD, has found gene therapy for an inherited form of blindness shows promise. Coverage has appeared in outlets including Reuters, FoxNews, HealthDay and the Gainesville Sun.
Click for article - Reuters
Click for article - FoxNews
Click for article - HealthDay
August 13, 2009
Marianne Watson, RN, manager for the Memory Disorders Clinic of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, offers advice for caregivers of Alzheimer's patients in an ADVANCE for Long Term Care article.
Click for article
August 11, 2009
Blog posts in Reuters and MacArthur Law and Neuroscience feature many topics discussed by Penn Medicine and other Penn experts at the first Neuroscience Boot Camp, including presentations by Andrew Newberg, MD, Geoff Aguirre, MD, PhD and Martha Farah, PhD.
Click for article - Reuters
Click for article - MacArthur Law & Neuroscience
August 8, 2009
A. Thomas McLellan, PhD, an adjunct professor of psychology in Psychiatry, was confirmed by the Senate last week as deputy director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, which advises the president and coordinates anti-drug efforts. McLellan will be charged with reducing the nation's demand for drugs, according to a Philadelphia Inquirer article.
Click for article
August 4, 2009
Phil Gehrman, PhD, CBSM, assistant professor of Psychiatry and Clinical Director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine program at the University of Pennsylvania discussed insomnia with Dr. Dan Gottlieb on WHYY's Voices in the Family.
Click for clip
July 30, 2009
Teri Franklin, PhD, research assistant professor of Psychiatry at Penn's Addiction Treatment Research Center, was quoted in a Time.com article regarding addiction and the anticraving medication, baclofenis.
Click for article
July 28, 2009
In a Time magazine article, Ruben Gur, PhD, director of Penn's Brain Behavior Laboratory, discussed the limitations of functional-magnetic-resonance-imaging (fMRI) in lie detection.
Click for article
July 28, 2009
Lucy Faulconbridge, PhD, of Penn's Center for Weight and Eating Disorders, was the lead author of a study which found that both depression and obesity may increase risk of heart disease and stroke. Dr. Faulconbridge presented these findings at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB). The story has aired on FOX stations in California, Texas and Mississippi.
July 23, 2009
USA Today reports that, in these stressful times, nearly 30% of the U.S. population complains of disturbed sleep patterns and sales of sleep medications are on the rise. Michael Perlis, PhD was quoted in the article discussing treatment for insomnia.
Click for article
July 22, 2009
John Trojanowski, MD, PhD, director of Penn’s Alzheimer's Disease Core Center, was referenced in articles in Reuters and Ivanhoe regarding early-stage Alzheimer's disease detection.
Click for article - Reuters
Click for article - Ivanhoe
July 22, 2009
Siobhan Banks, PhD was quoted in a Men’s Health article discussing the costs associated with inadequate sleep, including an increased risk of obesity and type-2 diabetes.
Click for article
July 20, 2009
Brian Litt, MD comments in a U.S.News & World Report article about recent attention focused heavily on the potential of brain stimulation therapies, which interrupt misbehaving brain signals. Click for article
July 20, 2009
Andrew Newberg, MD, director of the Penn Center for Spirituality and the Mind and one of the leading experts in the new field of neurotheology, was extensively featured on PBS’s “Religion & Ethics Newsweekly” regarding his latest book and continuing research on the effect of spirituality and religion upon the brain.
Click for article
July 16, 2009
The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania has been ranked #8 on this year's Honor Roll of Best Hospitals in America by US News and World Report, up from #10 last year. HUP is one of only 21 hospitals in the nation to receive a score that was considered "best of the best" by the publication. Of the 16 specialties ranked by US News, HUP rose in the rankings, overall, in 9 areas this year: Digestive Disorders, Ear, Nose and Throat, Heart and Heart Surgery, Neurology and Neurosurgery, Orthopaedics, Psychiatry, Rehabilitation, Rheumatology and Urology.
Pennsylvania Hospital was honored with rankings in the top 50 in two specialty areas: Neurology and Neurosurgery, and Orthopaedics.
Click for article
Click for MSNBC News Live segment
July 15, 2009
Phil Gehrman, an assistant professor of Psychiatry and sleep specialist at the University of Pennsylvania, was quoted in a USA Today article regarding a rare sleep disorder,
called non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome.
Click for article
July 13, 2009
Andrew Newberg, MD was featured on the live “Book TV” show on CSPAN-2 discussing his research and his latest book, How God Changes Your Brain. Dr. Newberg’s appearance on the show continues the on-going discussion regarding his research which has demonstrated how meditation and prayer affect the brain physiologically and continues to pose new questions.
Click for segment
July 8, 2009
A show about parasites on Animal Planet profiles a HUP patient and the team of neurologists (including Scott Kasner, MD, Daniel Kremens, MD), neuropathologists (including Irv Nachamkin, DrPH, MPH) and neurosurgeons (Kevin Judy, MD) who diagnosed him with an extremely rare parasite that traveled to his brain.
Click for segment
July 7, 2009
Jason Karlawish, MD was quoted in an article
in the Philadelphia Inquirer regarding the use of atypical antipsychotic medications for treating Alzheimer's disease.
Click for article
July 6, 2009
A new test may be able to detect Alzheimer’s disease much earlier. A Medstar story describes a University of Pennsylvania study where researchers looked for early signs of Alzheimer’s in cerebral spinal fluid. Les Shaw, PhD explained, “We’ve now learned that we can detect disease years before dementia sets in. As treatment trials develop, we’re hoping to incorporate the at risk folks before they get AD, to see if we can do better at preventing it.”
July 2, 2009
The nurses on the addiction unit at Penn-Presbyterian have been recognized for their extraordinary work in helping addicts on their road to recovery and regaining their lives as the featured cover story of this month's ADVANCE for Nurses magazine. Featured in the article are nurse manager Margorie H. Lehigh, MHA, MHEd, BSN, RN, CHES, Miriam P. Yorkman, BSN, RN, CARN, and David Childs.
Click for article
June 30, 2009
Articles from HealthDay News and Ars Technica highlight a Penn Medicine and CHOP study comparing genetic samples of autistic and normal children which identified 27 different genetic regions where missing or extra copies of DNA segments may interfere with gene function and impair neurological development.
Click for article - HealthDay News
Click for article - Ars Technica
June 29, 2009
Congressional Quarterly Researcher interviews Mark Salzer, PhD and Trevor Hadley, PhD in an article on depression, which looks at increased incidence of depression, access to treatments, and policy issues regarding serious mental health issues.
Click for article
June 24, 2009
John Q. Trojanowski, MD, PhD was quoted in a story in the Great Falls Tribune (Montana), which profiled a woman recently diagnosed with a rare genetic neurodegenerative disease, Pallido-Ponto-Nigral-Degeneration (PPND).
Click for article
June 23, 2009
In continued coverage, WHYY follows a patient of John O'Reardon, MD, who is part of a study testing deep brain stimulation (DBS) for depression. Dr. O’Reardon notes that half of the people who are participating in the study will have their devices turned on, the other half will not. The blinded phase will last 16 weeks, and after that, every patient’s device will be turned on so that they can experience the potential benefits of the procedure.
Click for article
June 22, 2009
In a St. Petersburg Times (Fla.) article about self-control, Anna Rose Childress, PhD notes that the same parts of the brain that light up whenever anyone battling a substance addiction spots a favorite drug can also turn on when we snack and self-medicate with junk food. "Our brains are hard-wired to appreciate and pursue natural rewards such as food and sex because of their critical survival value," she said.
Click for article
June 19, 2009
Anjan Chatterjee, MD is quoted by BBC.com regarding a controversial paper written by British ethicists stating that healthy people should be able to take the anti-hyperactivity drug Ritalin to boost brain power.
Click for article
June 18, 2009
Richard L. Doty, PhD was quoted in a New York Times article regarding
the impact that manipulation of smell has on appetite and weight loss.
Click for article
June 17, 2009
Michael Grandner, PhD, a fellow at the Center for Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology, was quoted in articles from the Los Angeles Times and UPI regarding research on the role that sleep plays in health, relationships and decision-making.
Click for article - Los Angeles Times
Click for article - UPI
June 15, 2009
Andrew Newberg, MD has published a column in USA Today about his research on religious practices and beliefs and their impact on the human person. "Religion and spiritual practices generally have a positive effect on one's physical, emotional and neurological health," said Newberg.
Click for article
June 11, 2009
Arthur Robinson Williams, MBE, fourth year medical student, and Daniel Langleben, MD co-wrote an article appearing on ScienceProgress.org that delves into the ongoing mortgage crisis and the neurobiology of social cooperation.
Click for article
June 9, 2009
Researchers launched the Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation (EARLI), a comprehensive study to track families with an autistic child through another pregnancy, birth, and the following three years. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the local portion of the study will be led by Drexel and by the Center for Autism Research, a collaboration between Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania.
Click for article
June 9, 2009
The CBS affiliate in Johnstown/Altoona reported on a breakthrough study by Gerard Schellenberg, PhD and other researchers from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania, which found that a mutation in a gene involved in brain cell communication increases the risk for autism.
Click for article
June 8, 2009
A genetic link between anxiety, depression and insomnia has been identified by Penn researchers, who said adolescents who suffer from anxiety and depression should also be screened for insomnia. Findings from this research, led by Philip Gehrman, PhD, CBSM were reported in a HealthDay article posted by US News and World Report. Additional coverage appeared on Fox affiliates in Philadelphia and San Antonio.
Click for article
June 8, 2009
Multiple outlets report that watching TV before bed could be getting in the way of a person's ability to get a good night's sleep. Research led by Mathias Basner, MD, MS, MSc and David F. Dinges, PhD, found that Americas spent almost half of their last two waking hours of each day watching the TV. Coverage appeared in the Los Angeles Times, US News and World Report via HealthDay, and on NBC, Fox and CBS television and radio stations around the country.
Click for article - Los Angeles Times
Click for article - US News and World Report
Click for article - NY Post
June 8, 2009
WebMD reports that a new weight loss drug looks good in late-stage clinical trials presented by Thomas Wadden, PhD. The drug works in the hypothalamus, the brain's central thermostat that controls appetite, temperature, and how the body burns energy.
Click for article
June 3, 2009
Jason Karlawish, MD is featured in an ABCNews.com article discussing treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and weighing in on certain myths about the disease.
Click for article
June 1, 2009
Penn Medicine psychiatrist Steven Marc Sokoll, MD, writes a letter to the editor of the New York Times, regarding an earlier Op-Ed article, "Growing Old With Autism," by Karl Taro Greenfeld.
Click for article
May 29, 2009
Steve Arnold, MD and Douglas Ewbank, PhD are quoted in a Medpage Today story, which notes that, according a New England Journal of Medicine article by researchers from the University of Cambridge in England, the pathological features of Alzheimer's disease may not be as representative of clinical dementia in the very old as in the younger elderly.
Click for article
May 27, 2009
In continuing coverage, Andrew Newberg, MD was interviewed on the national Oprah Radio’s “Soul Series” show where he discussed his latest book and research on how meditation and prayer affect the brain.
Click for segment
May 21, 2009
Andrew Newberg, MD and Michael Baime, MD were both featured in NPR’s “All Things Considered.” Dr. Newberg discusses his research into the effects of religion and spirituality on the brain. Dr. Baime, a practicing Tibetan Buddhist for the past 40 years who was also a past subject for Dr. Newberg’s research, describes the feeling of a peak meditative experience.
Click for segment
May 19, 2009
John Trojanowski, MD, PhD, Director of the Institute on Aging, Steve Arnold, MD, Director of the Alzheimer's Disease Center, and Melissa Livney, Psyc.D., clinical psychologist at the Alzheimer's Disease Center, were featured on WHYY's Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane discussing Alzheimer’s disease.
Click for segment
May 18, 2009
The Transcranial-Magnetic Stimulation program run by John O'Reardon, MD, associate professor of Psychiatry, was mentioned in Dan Gottlieb's mental-health column in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Click for article
May 12, 2009
John Trojanowski, MD, PhD, Virginia M.-Y. Lee, PhD, MBA, and Gerard Schellenberg, PhD appear in HBO’s four-part documentary series, "The Alzheimer’s Project." This multi-platform series – premiering May 10-12 on HBO and HBO.com – looks at Alzheimer’s disease from the patient, caregiver, and researcher perspective. Penn scientists contributed to the "Momentum in Science" piece, as well as the project's 15 supplemental films, website, and book.
Click for article
Click for clips on Alzheimer’s Project website
May 12, 2009
David Mandell, ScD was featured in a story on Chicago’s WBBM radio, which notes that studies in recent years have shown consistently that the age of diagnosis and the services provided early on can make all the difference when treating children with autism.
Click for article
May 6, 2009
A New York Post article discussing brain scan technology reports that Adrian Raine, D. Phil. has found that violent criminals and sexual offenders often have specific dysfunctional areas in the frontal areas of their brain.
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May 5, 2009
WHYY Radio notes that Penn Medicine is one of five locations nation-wide where a treatment called “Deep Brain Stimulation” or DBS is studied for its effectiveness with treatment-resistant depression. John O'Reardon, MD and Gordon Baltuch, MD, PhD are working together on this study. WHYY Radio also follows a patient from the University of Pennsylvania study throughout the DBS surgery and recovery process.
Click for article - WHYY DBS for depression
Click for article - WHYY Chronic Depression
May 4, 2009
Woman’s Day magazine reports on a test developed by University of Pennsylvania researchers, which predicts when individuals are more apt to develop Alzheimer’s.
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April 29, 2009
A team of Philadelphia researchers that included geneticists from the Perelman School of Medicine and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia said they have identified what they believe to be the first common genetic risk factors for autism and autism spectrum disorders. "This is the first crack in the facade of this disease," according to Gerard Schellenberg, PhD, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine.
Philadelphia Inquirer
Philadelphia Business Journal article
BBC article
Bloomberg article
US News and World Report article
April 28, 2009
Andrew Newberg, MD was interviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle about his latest book, How God Changes Your Brain.
The article discusses Newberg's findings that meditation and prayer can improve your physical, intellectual, and emotional well-being and may even slow the brain's aging process.
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April 27, 2009
Forbes.com reports that researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a test that uses levels of certain proteins in spinal fluid, combined with the presence or absence of mutations in a particular gene, to predict who will get Alzheimer's. The test appears to pinpoint people who will get the disease with 87% accuracy, but further research steps need to be taken to develop a new diagnostic.
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April 24, 2009
David Dinges, PhD and Amita Sehgal, PhD are quoted in a ScienceNOW Daily News article, regarding a new brain-imaging study that gives surprising new insights into how the brain manages the urge to sleep and wake. The results, sleep researchers say, may improve predictions of when people are most at risk for drowsy accidents.
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April 24, 2009
Allan Pack, MD, PhD was interviewed on "Doctor Radio’s Emergency Medicine with Dr. Billy Goldberg" on XM and Sirius satellite radio, discussing sleep issues commonly facing commercial truck drivers. The interview covered everything from sleep apnea and CPAP machine advances to caffeine and modafinil.
April 23, 2009
An article in USA Today warns that millions of people who use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as naproxen and ibuprofen, shouldn't bank on the drugs helping them ward off dementia. Jason Karlawish, MD comments on a study in this week's Neurology which suggests that NSAID users do not have lower rates of dementia and that increased use of the pain relievers may actually raise the risk of cognitive decline.
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April 22, 2009
Andrew Newberg, MD was interviewed by the Toronto Star regarding his latest book, How God Changes Your Brain. For this book – his fourth on the effects of spirituality and religion on the brain – Dr. Newberg conducted brain imaging studies to see if different prayer and meditative practices have a visible impact upon the brain.
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April 22, 2009
Anthony Rostain, MD is featured in an article from the Delaware News Journal, which looks at ADHD in adults. About 8 million adults, or 4 percent of the US adult population live with ADHD, a developmental disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsiveness.
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April 21, 2009
David Dinges, PhD is interviewed in a Men's Health story about sleep efficiency. Sleep "stabilizes your waking brain, makes you more alert, and allows you to process information faster," says Dr. Dinges. "It helps you remember things and consolidate those memories."
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April 21, 2009
Anjan Chatterjee, MD and Martha Farah, PhD are featured in an article in The New Yorker about the underground world of “neuroenhancing” drugs. In 2004, Dr. Chatterjee coined the term “cosmetic neurology” to describe the practice of using drugs developed for recognized medical conditions to strengthen ordinary cognition. The New Yorker article is discussed on NPR's Fresh Air.
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Click for NPR segment
April 17, 2009
The Penn Almanac highlights that Gerard Schellenberg, PhD, professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, has received an $18.3 million five-year grant from the National Institute on Aging, a division of the National Institutes of Health, to lead a genome-wide association (GWA) study to identify genes that may affect risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
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April 16, 2009
A. Thomas McLellan, PhD often cited as the nation's top researcher on drug addiction and treatment, will be nominated as the nation's No. 2 drug czar, according to a Friday announcement from President Obama. If confirmed by the Senate, McLellan will be deputy director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, which advises the president and coordinates anti-drug efforts. Observers say his appointment will re-focus efforts from arrests and jail time to the best ways to treat addiction, and hence, reduce demand for drugs and the crime it engenders. Coverage of his new role has appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and the Daily Pennsylvanian.
Click for article - Philadelphia Inquirer
Click for article - Washington Post
Click for article - Daily Pennsylvanian
Click for article - White House announcement
April 13, 2009
David S. Mandell, ScD speaks with the Florida Times-Union regarding a 2005 Penn study which found that nearly one in five autistic children among a sample of 156 children with autism studied had been physically abused; about one in six had been sexually abused. Mandell said the research underscored the importance of vigilance on the part of therapists and doctors for signs of abuse.
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April 7, 2009
Virginia M.-Y. Lee, PhD, MBA speaks with The Chronicle of Philanthropy about the effects of the Bernard L. Madoff fraud on academic research funding.
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April 6, 2009
Leo McCluskey, MD is quoted in Dr. Dan Gottlieb’s column in the Philadelphia Inquirer, expressing his interest in a research project on the potential harm of providing false hope to patients - being hopeful vs. being truthful when giving patients a diagnosis. Dr. McCluskey will participate in a web chat on the topic April 7th at noon with Dr. Gottlieb at www.philly.com/askdan.
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April 6, 2009
Scott Rushanan, MS, OTR/L, occupational therapist with the ALS Association Center at the Penn Medicine Neuroscience Center, is quoted in Today in OT on his work with ALS patients.
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April 3, 2009
The April issue of The Scientist is devoted to sleep research. Allan Pack, MD, PhD contributes an article entitled, "The Gears of Sleep," which argues that trouble sleeping is not always rooted in disturbances in circadian rhythm. The research of Marcos Frank, PhD is mentioned in a second article entitled, "Disappearing Before Dawn," that describes his work on how sleep strengthens neuronal connections.
Click for article - Gears of the Sleep
Click for article - Disappearing Before Dawn
April 2, 2009
Australia’s leading science magazine, Cosmos, discusses a test that can confirm or rule out Alzheimer's disease at an early stage, which has been shown effective by U.S. pathologists. "With this test, we can reliably detect and track the progression of Alzheimer's disease," said lead researcher Leslie Shaw, PhD.
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April 2, 2009
Amy Colcher, MD, clinical associate professor of Neurology and director of Movement Disorders Experimental Neurotherapeutics, speaks with WHYY-TV’s Delaware Tonight regarding a new treatment for involuntary movement associated with Huntington’s disease.
March 31, 2009
Elna Yadin, PhD discussed characteristics of obsessive-compulsive disorder in an article from Health Magazine seeking to explain when an OCD habit becomes a health problem. “People with OCD have intrusive, upsetting thoughts that make them feel anxious. And they use their compulsions, whether it’s checking the stove or washing their hands, to relieve the anxiety - so the illness becomes self-perpetuating.”
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March 31, 2009
The partial or complete absence of a sense of smell - called anosmia - is far less apparent or prominent than other sensory conditions such as deafness or blindness. But the condition, thought to affect millions of Americans, brings its own set of challenges. Richard Doty, PhD was quoted in a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article, which profiles one Pittsburgh man, who lost his sense of smell through an accident involving head trauma.
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March 31, 2009
According to the Penn Current, not much is known about the role the human brain’s sensitivity to unexpected outcomes plays in our ability to learn. But now, for the first time, a Penn study, led by Kareem Zaghloul, MD, has shown the brain is more likely to learn when the unexpected happens than when things are predictable.
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March 30, 2009
Andrew Newberg, MD and Mark Waldman appear in The Washington Post's "Guest Voices - Other Views on Faith and Its Impact on the News," commenting on results from their research and book which has lead them to the conclusion that faith is the most important thing a person needs to maintain a neurologically healthy brain."
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March 27, 2009
Cognitive neuroscientist Geoffrey K. Aguirre, MD, an assistant professor Neurology is highlighted as one of the "Top 40 & Under" physicians in the 2009 edition of Philadelphia Magazine's "Top Docs" Issue, and is featured on the cover of the magazine.
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March 27, 2009
Doug Smith, MD comments in Technology Review, and The Daily Pennsylvanian on his recent study about a tissue-engineered scaffold for nerve tissue regeneration. “What we've done is created a 3-D neural network, a mini nervous system that is kind of like jumper cables," says Smith.
Click for article (Tech Review)
Click for article (DP)
March 26, 2009
Deborah Kim, MD commented in a Jewish Exponent article which questions whether Nadya Suleman - the California woman in whom six embryos were implanted, one of which split, and who is already the mother of six young children - rationally decided to have kids, because she was an only child, she always felt lonely, and as such, wanted a large family of her own.
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March 26, 2009
In an article from the Florida Times-Union, Anjan Chatterjee, MD discusses the possibility of developing artistic ability as a result of brain trauma.
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March 23, 2009
USA Today reports on a new study, led by neuroscientist Kareem Zaghloul, MD, suggesting that if you want a lesson to stick, an unexpected reward is what the brain is craving. "The brain's sensitivity to unexpected outcomes plays a fundamental role in an organism's ability to adapt and learn new behaviors," said Dr. Zaghloul and the other authors in the March 13 article in the journal Science.
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March 20, 2009
In continued coverage, the Philadelphia Business Journal and syndicated newswire UPI note that researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine, led by Leslie M. Shaw, PhD, say they have validated and standardized a test capable of confirming or ruling out Alzheimer’s disease in its earliest stages.
Click for article (Philadelphia Business Journal)
Click for article (UPI)
March 19, 2009
Doug Smith, MD explains to 6ABC that even a minor fall can cause the brain to shift quickly inside the skull. With a syndrome people call Talk and Die syndrome, he says the brain itself may not be damaged, but small blood vessels at the top of the brain can tear. Dr. Smith also discussed the topic in an article from the Philadephia Inquirer.
Click for clip (6ABC)
Click for article (Philadelphia Inquirer)
March 18, 2009
In continued coverage, WABC New York highlights Penn Medicine research on transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for depression. Researchers say the stimulation reactivates parts of the brain that regulate mood. "The beauty of it is we can do it noninvasively in the doctor's office without needing sedation, with the patient able to resume normal activities immediately" said John O’Reardon, MD.
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March 17, 2009
According to a team of Penn Medicine researchers, led by Leslie M. Shaw, PhD, a new test can accurately detect Alzheimer's disease in its earliest stages, before dementia symptoms surface and widespread damage occurs.
Click for article (Reuters)
Click for article (Daily Mail - UK)
March 16, 2009
Kareem Zaghloul, MD, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in neurosurgery, was quoted in a Philadelphia Inquirer article highlighting a study on Parkinson's patients undergoing deep-brain stimulation. According to a group of University of Pennsylvania scientists, the study also offers a chance to understand how people learn.
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March 10, 2009
According to the New York Times, brain researchers from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) trying to understand the neural basis of religious belief, have concluded that the brain has no special region or network for this task. Rather, it depends on general networks that exist for other purposes. Andrew Newberg, MD comments in the article and is also mentioned for his research looking into religion and spirituality and the brain.
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March 9, 2009
Charles O'Brien, MD, PhD tells USA Today that many might be surprised to learn what constitutes at-risk drinking, in an article regarding a "Rethinking Drinking" website developed by experts at National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). The website was created to help people who drink alcoholic beverages determine what type of drinker they are and whether they are at a risk for developing a drinking problem.
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February 25, 2009
Anjan Chatterjee, MD was quoted in an article from The Hartford Courant, which investigates the demand for cognitive-enhancing medications - Adderall, Ritalin and other drugs that stimulate the ability to focus attention - and the
inevitable trend toward the use of such drugs by normal people wanting to be better.
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February 24, 2009
Andrew B. Newberg, MD was featured in an article from
a special "Mind & Body" issue of Time Magazine,
discussing the controversies and contradictions of science and spirituality and the relationship between health and religion.
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February 20, 2009
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, four scientists doing Parkinson's research that lost hundreds of thousands of dollars as a result of the Bernard Madoff financial scandal have been awarded $75,000 in "emergency bridge funding" from the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, including Virginia M.-Y. Lee, PhD, MBA, who received one of the emergency grants yesterday.
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February 15, 2009
Steven Siegel, MD, PhD is quoted in a Philadelphia Inquirer article about a new television show that's lead character has dissociative identity disorder (DID). Dr. Siegel says "I don't believe [DID] is an illness. It's fabricated by the psychiatric establishment and propagated by people who hear about it" from pop culture.
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February 15, 2009
Ruben C. Gur, PhD discussed the act of lying in an article from the Washington Post, noting that neurological research is showing that lies are so interwoven into our central nervous systems that it's not even an unnatural act. Dr. Gur and his research partner Daniel Langleben, MD have learned to use short films of the brain, called "functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging," to detect lies.
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February 13, 2009
The research of Marcos Frank, PhD is mentioned on All That and More, NBC 10 and in a UPI news wire article. His study, out this week in the journal Neuron, shows for the first time how cellular changes in the sleeping brain promote the formation of memories.
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February 11, 2009
John O'Reardon, MD appeared on a news story which aired on WKBT-TV CH 8 (CBS) in Wisconsin, discussing transcranial magnetic stimulation, a treatment recently cleared by the FDA for people struggling to emerge from depression.
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February 11, 2009
An article in USA Today looks at attraction, that unexplained magnetism that draws people together, possibly leading to love. "What we see as attractive is a byproduct of not only our biological wiring, but is also influenced by socio-cultural factors," says David Sarwer, PhD.
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February 11, 2009
A number of PMNC physicians were recognized in Castle Connolly's 2008 edition of "America's Top Doctors". According to Castle Connolly, physicians are selected through "peer nomination, extensive research and careful review and screening by [a] doctor-directed research team." The Center faculty recognized in 2008 include: Gordon Baltuch, MD, PhD, Edward Brodkin, MD, Marc Dichter, MD, Steven Galetta, MD, M. Sean Grady, MD, Robert Hurst, MD, Howard Hurtig, MD, Kevin Judy, MD, Kyle M. Kampman, MD, Mary Ann Keenan, MD, Grant Liu, MD, Laurie Loevner, MD, Leo McCluskey, MD, Donald O’Rourke, MD, Myrna Rosenfeld, MD, PhD, Anthony L. Rostain, MD, Matthew Stern, MD, Joel E. Streim, MD, Michael E. Thase, MD, William Welch, MD, and Elizabeth B. Weller, MD.
February 10, 2009
John Trojanowki, MD, PhD, Director of Penn’s Institute on Aging, comments on brain disease research on a WHYY Radio segment about including funding for scientific research in the stimulus package.
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February 9, 2009
Gregory K. Brown, PhD, was quoted in an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer, which looks for reasons why suicides in Philadelphia rose sharply last year, a disturbing statistic that experts say they are trying to understand.
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February 4, 2009
TheStreet.com notes that University of Pennsylvania scientists have developed color-changing crystals that could improve the detection and care of football players' head injuries. But they need funding and partners to develop practical applications. Professor Shu Yang, credits her group and Douglas Smith, MD and his lab in the Department of Neurosurgery at Penn with the development of this breakthrough in technology.
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February 3, 2009
Geoffrey Neimark, MD, Resident in Psychiatry, provides insight on working with patients with schizophrenia in the latest issue of Rolling Stone. The in-depth analysis of the pharmaceutical industry - particularly Eli Lilly and its marketing of the atypical antipsychotic drug Zyprexa - is part of a series of epic stories for the magazine by Philadelphia-based writer, Ben Wallace-Wells.
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January 21, 2009
A new one-hour documentary on Alzheimer’s disease, developed by Carol Edwards, began airing on PBS stations nationwide earlier this month. Alzheimer’s Disease: Facing the Facts will air locally on WHYY-TV (Channel 12) tonight at 10:00 PM and at 6:00 PM on Sunday, January 25th. Researchers from Penn’s Institute on Aging, Penn Memory Center, and the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research are prominently featured in the film.
Click for clip
January 16, 2009
Laura Balcer, MD, MSCE speaks with New Scientist magazine in an article investigating how neurodegenerative conditions like multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease can be examined by peering into the eye. The article notes that Dr. Balcer has been using optical coherence tomography (OCT) on patients taking part in MS drug trials to try to establish if the system can accurately gauge drug efficacy.
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January 15, 2009
Steven Morse is quoted in a Wall Street Journal article about how experimental neural scans, brain-wave memory probes and other controversial techniques have found their way into scores of criminal proceedings, where judges usually are left on their own to assess its scientific validity.
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January 14, 2009
Scott Kasner, MD is quoted in a New York Times article looking into clinical trials testing devices to close a congenital heart defect that appears to elevate the risk of stroke in healthy people under the age of 55.
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January 13, 2009
Caryn Lerman, PhD is quoted in a WHYY TV "Delaware Tonight" segment discussing the genetic underpinnings of nicotine addiction, which her research shows plays a role in why some people have concentration and other cognitive problems when trying to quit smoking.
January 9, 2009
Ruben C. Gur, PhD is featured in a History Channel special on the Seven Deadly Sins, in an episode dedicated to anger.
Click for clip
January 7, 2009
Caryn Lerman, PhD was a guest on WHYY’s Radio Times, where she discussed her new study, published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, finding that some smokers may be genetically prone to concentration and memory problems during quitting attempts.
Click for clip
January 5, 2009
Monthly injections of an extended-release version of the alcohol dependence drug naltrexone improve quality of life for alcohol-dependent patients, a study shows. A 6-month treatment course of the drug "improved general health, physical and social functioning, and overall mental health," lead investigator Helen M. Pettinati, PhD told Reuters Health. "It was clear that individuals who had reduced their drinking with extended-release naltrexone were those that showed improvements in quality of life."
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