http://www.pennmedicine.org/news The latest news about Neurology and Neurosurgery from Penn Medicine - the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Health System. en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss rachel.ewing@uphs.upenn.edu (Rachel Ewing) 2009, The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania http://www.pennmedicine.org/images/pennmedicine_logo.jpg http://www.pennmedicine.org/news With a better understanding of underlying mechanisms that cause a rare neurodevelopmental disorder in the Old Order Mennonite population, referred to as Pretzel syndrome, a new study reports that five children were successfully treated with a drug that modifies the disease process, minimizing seizures and improving receptive language. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2013/04/seizures/ Thur, 25 April 2013 20:15:00 GMT Deep brain stimulation (DBS) in a precise region of the brain appears to reduce caloric intake and prompt weight loss in obese animal models, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2013/04/dbs/ Tue, 23 April 2013 22:00:00 GMT A variation in the gene ABCA7 causes a twofold increase in the risk of late onset Alzheimer disease among African Americans, according to a meta-analysis by a team of researchers including experts from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. This is the largest analysis to date to determine genetic risk associated with late-onset Alzheimer disease (LOAD) specifically in African American individuals. The study appears in the April 10 issue of JAMA, a genomics theme issue. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2013/04/gwas/ Mon, 09 April 2013 16:15:00 GMT Neurosurgeons can visualize important pathways in the brain using an imaging technique called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), to better adapt brain tumor surgeries and preserve language, visual and motor function while removing cancerous tissue. In the latest issue of Neurosurgical Focus, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania review research showing that this ability to visualize relevant white matter tracts during glioma resection surgeries can improve accuracy and, in some groups, significantly extend survival (median survival of 21.2 months) compared to cases where DTI was not used (median survival of 14 months). http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2013/04/brem/ Mon, 01 April 2013 16:15:00 GMT Certified Primary Stroke Centers are three times more likely to administer clot-busting treatment for strokes than non-certified centers, reports a new study by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2013/03/mullen/ Tue, 26 March 2012 21:00:00 GMT The results of two long-awaited clinical trials, testing a closure device versus medication to prevent stroke recurrence in young stroke survivors who have an opening in the atrial wall, have not provided enough evidence to conclude who, if anyone, is likely to benefit from the interventional procedure, according to an accompanying editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine co-authored by a Perelman School of Medicine researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2013/03/pfo/ Fri, 22 March 2012 15:30:00 GMT The brain's prefrontal cortex is thought to be the seat of cognitive control, working as a kind of filter that keeps irrelevant thoughts, perceptions and memories from interfering with a task at hand. Now, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have shown that inhibiting this filter can boost performance for tasks in which unfiltered, creative thoughts present an advantage. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2013/03/hamilton/ Mon, 18 March 2013 15:15:00 GMT Telestroke programs substantially improve access to life-saving stroke care, extending coverage to less populated areas in an effort to reduce disparities in stroke care access. A new study by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, being presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego March 16-23, 2013, found that telemedicine programs in Oregon pushed stroke coverage into previously uncovered, less populated areas and expanded coverage by approximately 40 percent. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2013/03/telestroke/ Fri, 15 March 2013 15:00:00 GMT Injecting synthetic tau fibrils into animal models induces Alzheimer's-like tau tangles and imitates the spread of tau pathology, according to research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania being presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego March 16-23, 2013. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2013/03/tau/ Fri, 15 March 2013 15:00:00 GMT A series of studies demonstrate improved detection of the second most common form of dementia, providing diagnostic specificity that clears the way for refined clinical trials testing targeted treatments. The new research is being presented by experts from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania at the American Academy of Neurology’s 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego March 16-23, 2013. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2013/03/grossman/ Fri, 15 March 2013 14:00:00 GMT Penn experts will be presenting the latest advances in treatment and diagnosis of neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy and stroke at the American Academy of Neurology 65th Annual Meeting. Given the high global burden of rain disorders, which cause at least 25 percent of death and disability globally, the Penn team will gather with neurologists from around the world in San Diego, CA from March 16-23 as the field discusses the latest advances in neurological medicine, science and education. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2013/03/aan/ Fri, 15 March 2013 14:00:00 GMT Mounting evidence demonstrates that the pathological proteins linked to the onset and progression of neurodegenerative disorders are capable of spreading from cell-to-cell within the brains of affected individuals and thereby "spread" disease from one interconnected brain region to another. A new study found no evidence to support concerns that these abnormal disease proteins are "infectious" or transmitted from animals to humans or from one person to another. The study by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, in conjunction with experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Department of Health and Human Services, appears online in JAMA Neurology. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2013/02/Trojanowski/ Thur, 4 February 2013 19:15:00 GMT While approximately one in five Parkinson's disease patients experience impulse control disorder symptoms, the disease itself does not increase the risk of gambling, shopping, or other impulsivity symptoms, according to research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. A new study is the first to show in a large sample that people with untreated Parkinson's were no more likely to have an increased impulsivity than people without the disease. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2013/01/weintraub/ Mon, 07 Jan 2013 21:00:00 GMT The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) has been recognized by The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) as meeting The Joint Commission's standards for Disease-Specific Care Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification, becoming the first center in Philadelphia and among a select few hospitals in the United States to be named as part of an elite group of providers focused on complex stroke care. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2013/01/stroke/ Thur, 03 Jan 2013 16:00:00 GMT When trying to determine the root cause of a person's dementia, using an MRI can effectively and non-invasively screen patients for Alzheimer's disease or Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLD), according to a new study by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/12/mri/ Wed, 26 Dec 2012 20:00:00 GMT Robert Siman, PhD, Research Professor of Neurosurgery in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has received a Zenith Fellows Award from the Alzheimer's Association for his personal commitment to the advancement of Alzheimer's disease research, and his research contributions to better understanding and curing the disease. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/12/siman/ Thur, 20 Dec 2012 16:30:00 GMT People with Alzheimer's disease are less likely to participate in a clinical trial if they have non-spouse caregivers, according to a study by a team of researchers including the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/12/karlawish/ Wed, 19 Dec 2012 16:00:00 GMT New research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) reveals that sons of male rats exposed to cocaine are resistant to the rewarding effects of the drug, suggesting that cocaine-induced changes in physiology are passed down from father to son. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/12/pierce/ Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:30:00 GMT Nearly 100 years after a British neurologist first mapped the blind spots caused by missile wounds to the brains of soldiers, Perelman School of Medicine researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have perfected his map using modern-day technology. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/10/aguirre/ Thur, 04 Oct 2012 16:00:00 GMT A year ago, researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania reported that Alzheimer's pathology, as reflected by cerebral spinal fluid biomarkers, might be increased in patients after surgery and anesthesia. However, it is not clear whether the anesthetic drugs or the surgical procedure itself was responsible. To separate these possibilities, the group turned to a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. The results, published online this month in the Annals of Surgery, show that surgery itself, rather than anesthesia, has the more profound impact on a dementia-vulnerable brain. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/09/surgery/ Thur, 13 Sep 2012 19:30:00 GMT Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine will receive $11.9 million over the next five years from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) for the Penn Udall Center for Parkinson's Disease (PD) research. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/08/renewal/ Thur, 30 August 2012 15:30:00 GMT Two Penn Medicine hospitals have received Primary Stroke Center certification from The Joint Commission for efforts to achieve long-term success in improving outcomes for stroke patients. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/08/psc-certification/ Tue, 21 August 2012 13:00:00 GMT Efforts to develop a blood test for Alzheimer's disease are progressing, as a new study co-authored by experts from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) found a group of biomarkers that hold up in statistical analyses in three independent groups of patients.  http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/08/plasma-biomarkers/ Mon, 20 August 2012 17:00:00 GMT While clinical trial results are being released regarding drugs intended to decrease amyloid production - thought to contribute to decline in Alzheimer's disease - clinical trials of drugs targeting other disease proteins, such as tau, are in their initial phases. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/07/tau/ Thur, 19 July 2012 16:00:00 GMT Diagnostic tests are increasingly capable of identifying plaques and tangles present in Alzheimer's disease, yet the disease remains untreatable. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/07/ethical/ Tue, 17 July 2012 16:00:00 GMT The Ecuadorean National Assembly has bestowed its highest scientific award to Donald Silberberg, MD, professor emeritus and former Chair of Neurology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, for his efforts spanning two decades to raise awareness, enhance medical education and improve patient care for neurological and psychiatric conditions globally, and in Ecuador. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/07/silberberg/ Mon, 9 July 2012 16:00:00 GMT Amyloid fibers are protein aggregates associated with numerous neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease, for which there are no effective treatments. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/06/clumps/ Tue, 19 June 2012 21:00:00 GMT Frances E. Jensen, MD, has been named Chair of the Department of Neurology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/06/jensen/ Thur, 14 June 2012 19:00:00 GMT On the evening of Thursday, June 7th, Penn Medicine and Penn Athletics will host a Red Carpet premiere of a new film, Head Games, a revealing documentary about the concussion crisis in sports. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/06/head/ Thur, 6 June 2012 14:00:00 GMT Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania researchers have discovered a mechanism involving the neurotransmitter dopamine that switches fruit fly behavior from being active during the day (diurnal) to nocturnal. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/05/sundown/ Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 GMT A cellular protein called HDAC6, newly characterized as a gatekeeper of steroid biology in the brain, may provide a novel target for treating and preventing stress-linked disorders, such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, according to research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/04/hdac6/ Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:00:00 GMT In a series of studies being presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Penn researchers demonstrated that, while tests created for AD are effectively diagnosing the condition when it's clear cut, additional tests are needed to address the many cases with mixed pathology. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/04/ftd/ Fri, 20 Apr 2012 20:40:00 GMT Two new studies analyzing treatment decisions in late-stage amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients shed light onto treatments aimed to extend the duration and quality of life in this progressively debilitating neuromuscular disorder. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/04/als/ Fri, 20 Apr 2012 20:00:00 GMT A mysterious, difficult-to-diagnose, and potentially deadly disease that was only recently discovered can be controlled most effectively if treatment is started within the first month that symptoms occur, according to a new report by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/04/early/ Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:00:00 GMT Researchers have long recognized that autism runs in families, suggesting a genetic component. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/04/dna/ Thur, 5 Apr 2012 13:00:00 GMT Insulin resistance in the brain precedes and contributes to cognitive decline above and beyond other known causes of Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/03/insulin/ Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:00:00 GMT Aggressive treatment for severe traumatic brain injuries costs more than routine care, yet yields significantly better outcomes, improved quality of life, and lower long term care costs, according to a new study by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/03/brain-injury/ Tue, 6 Mar 2012 17:00:00 GMT Gene therapy for congenital blindness has taken another step forward, as researchers further improved vision in three adult patients previously treated in one eye. After receiving the same treatment in their other eye, the patients became better able to see in dim light, and two were able to navigate obstacles in low-light situations. No adverse effects occurred. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/02/gene-therapy-blindness/ Wed, 8 Feb 2012 04:00:00 GMT The molecular pathway that carries time-of-day signals from the body's internal clock to ultimately guide daily behavior is like a black box, says Amita Sehgal, PhD, the John Herr Musser Professor of Neuroscience and Co-Director, Comprehensive Neuroscience Center, at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/02/internal-clock-black-box/ Mon, 6 Feb 2012 04:00:00 GMT Results were released yesterday from the Pennsylvania Autism Needs Assessment, which includes feedback from 3,500 Pennsylvania caregivers and adults with autism, making it the largest study of its kind in the nation. Among the findings, the study shows that training in social skills has been identified as the most common unmet need for both children and adults with autism. The study also found that more than two-thirds of adults with autism are unemployed or underemployed. The survey was led by the Center for Mental Health Policy and Services Research in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/01/autism-pa-families/ Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:00:00 GMT A new multi-center study, including neurologists and neurosurgeons from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, reveals that Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) – a treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with medication-resistant muscle movement impairment or tremors – can improve those symptoms and reduce medications for patients implanted with the device. The study appears Online First in Lancet Neurology. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/01/deep-brain-parkinsons/ Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:00:00 GMT Four faculty members at the University of Pennsylvania have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), three from the Perelman School of Medicine. This year 539 members have been awarded this honor by AAAS because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/01/aaas-fellows-2012/ Thu, 5 Jan 2012 04:00:00 GMT Peter LeRoux, MD, FACS, associate professor of Neurosurgery in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, was awarded a 3-year, $250,000 Dana Foundation Clinical Neuroscience grant, to conduct a study using branch chain amino acids to treat concussion in athletes. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/01/leroux-award/ Tue, 3 Jan 2012 04:00:00 GMT A new measurement tool can identify cognitively normal adults who are at high risk for cognitive decline, according to a new study by collaborators at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Medical School. The study is published in the December 21, 2011, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/12/meas-brain-thickness// Wed, 21 Dec 2011 04:00:00 GMT A method of classifying brain atrophy patterns in Alzheimer's disease patients using MRIs can also detect cognitive decline in Parkinson's disease, according to a new study by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Researchers also found that higher baseline Alzheimer's patterns of atrophy predicted long-term cognitive decline in cognitively normal Parkinson's patients. The study is published online in Brain. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/12/cognitive-decline-parkinsons Mon, 12 Dec 2011 04:00:00 GMT A method of classifying brain atrophy patterns in Alzheimer's disease patients using MRIs can also detect cognitive decline in Parkinson's disease, according to a new study by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Researchers also found that higher baseline Alzheimer's patterns of atrophy predicted long-term cognitive decline in cognitively normal Parkinson's patients. The study is published online in Brain. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/12/cognitive-decline-parkinsons Mon, 12 Dec 2011 04:00:00 GMT Atrophy in the hippocampus, the region of the brain known for memory formation and storage, is evident in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with cognitive impairment, including early decline known as mild cognitive impairment (MCI), according to a study by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The study is published in the December issue of the Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/12/hippocampal-atrophy/ Mon, 12 Dec 2011 04:00:00 GMT On the quest for safe, reliable and accessible tools to accurately diagnose Alzheimer's disease, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found a new way of diagnosing and tracking Alzheimer's disease, using an innovative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique called Arterial spin labeling (ASL) to measure changes in brain function. The team determined that the ASL-MRI test is a promising alternative to the current standard, a specific PET scan that requires exposure to small amounts of a radioactive glucose analog and costs approximately four-times more than an ASL-MRI. Two studies now appear in Alzheimer's and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association and Neurology. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/11/mri-brain-alz/ Wed, 16 Nov 2011 04:00:00 GMT Can a visit to your primary care doctor help you lose weight? Primary care physicians, working with medical assistants in their practices, helped one group of their obese patients lose an average of 10.1 lb during a two-year lifestyle intervention, according to a new study by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Their 10 lb weight loss was associated, over the two years, with improvements in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, including waist circumference and HDL cholesterol levels. The results of the POWER-UP (Practice-based Opportunities for Weight Reduction at the University of Pennsylvania) trial were reported in the latest edition of the New England Journal of Medicine and at the American Heart Association annual meeting today. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/11/obese-power-up/ Mon, 14 Nov 2011 04:00:00 GMT A team of researchers co-led by the University of Pennsylvania has developed and tested a new high-resolution, ultra-thin device capable of recording brain activity from the cortical surface without having to use penetrating electrodes. The device could make possible a whole new generation of brain-computer interfaces for treating neurological and psychiatric illness and research. The work was published in Nature Neuroscience. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/11/brain-map-device/ Sun, 13 Nov 2011 04:00:00 GMT The changing tide of Alzheimer's diagnosis presents new challenges to the public, physicians and lawmakers: if you could find out your Alzheimer's risk, would you want to know? How should doctors tell you your risk? http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/09/safeguards/ Thur, 15 Sep 2011 02:00:00 GMT A sideline visual test effectively detected concussions in collegiate athletes, according to a team of researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Concussed athletes scored an average of 5.9 seconds slower (worse) than the best baseline scores in healthy controls on the timed test, in which athletes read a series of numbers on cards and are scored on time and accuracy. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/08/visual-test/ Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:00:00 GMT A new study by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania shows that declines in hearing ability may accelerate gray mater atrophy in auditory areas of the brain and increase the listening effort necessary for older adults to successfully comprehend speech. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/08/mild-hearing/ Wed, 31 Aug 2011 13:00:00 GMT On July 29, 2011, Edna Foa, PhD, received the inaugural International Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Foundation Outstanding Career Achievement Award. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/08/edna-foa/ Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:00:00 GMT Two Penn Medicine studies were released this week by the Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/07/archives-of-neurology/ Wed, 13 July 2011 19:00:00 GMT Increasingly, researchers are suggesting that amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles may be relatively late manifestations in the course of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/06/mistaken-identity/ Mon, 27 June 2011 15:00:00 GMT There are new genetic clues on risk factors and biological causes of a rare neurodegenerative disease called progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), according to a new study from an international genetics team led by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/06/brain-disease/ Sun, 19 June 2011 18:00:00 GMT Dieticians will tell you it isn't healthy to eat late at night: it's a recipe for weight gain. In fruit flies, at least, there's another consequence: reduced fertility. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/06/wrong-time-eating/ Wed, 8 June 2011 13:00:00 GMT Penn's Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research (CNDR) will partner with Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, L.L.C., (J&JPRD) to develop algorithms that can identify changes in biomarkers related to disease diagnosis and for monitoring disease progression. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/05/alzheimers-disease-monitoring/ Thur, 06 May 2011 13:00:00 GMT At menopause, many women begin to notice a decline in their attention, organization, and short-term memory. These cognitive symptoms can lead to professional and personal challenges and unwarranted fears of early-onset dementia. A small study by Penn Medicine and Yale researchers, published in the journal Menopause, found that a drug typically given to children and adults with ADHD improved attention and concentration in menopausal women, providing the first potential treatment for menopause-related cognition deficits. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/05/menopause/ Thur, 05 May 2011 17:00:00 GMT Several genes have been linked to ALS, with one of the most recent called FUS. Two new studies examined FUS biology in yeast and found that defects in RNA biology may be central to how FUS contributes to ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease. These findings point to new targets for developing drugs. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/04/als-protein-fus/ Tue, 26 Apr 2011 22:00:00 GMT In the largest study of its kind, researchers from a consortium led by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, the University of Miami, and the Boston University School of Medicine, identified four new genes linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Each gene individually adds to the risk of having this common form of dementia later in life. These new genes offer a portal into what causes Alzheimer’s disease and is a major advance in the field. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/04/alzheimers-tau-acetylation/ Sun, 03 Apr 2011 18:00:00 GMT Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have determined that a well-known chemical process called acetylation has a previously unrecognized association with one of the biological processes associated with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. The findings were published in the latest issue of Nature Communications. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/04/alzheimers-tau-acetylation/ Fri, 01 Apr 2011 18:00:00 GMT By combining sophisticated mathematical techniques more commonly used by spies instead of scientists with the power and versatility of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a Penn neurologist has developed a new approach for studying the inner workings of the brain. A hidden pattern is encoded in the seemingly random order of things presented to a human subject, which the brain reveals when observed with fMRI. The research is published in the journal NeuroImage. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/03/mathematical-sequence-brain-imaging/ Mon, 28 Mar 2011 16:00:00 GMT New Penn research blending electrophysiological, biochemical, and behavioral experiments demonstrated that neurons in the noses of mice mature after birth -- an indication that, for rodent pups, bonding with mom isn't hard-wired in the womb. It develops over the first few weeks of life, which is achieved by their maturing sense of smell, possibly allowing these mammals a survival advantage by learning to identify mother, siblings, and home. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/03/mouse-nose-neuron-maturation/ Fri, 11 Mar 2011 18:30:00 GMT Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania explain how a class of RNA molecules is able to target the genetic building blocks that guide the functioning of a specific part of the nerve cell. Abnormalities at this site are in involved in epilepsy, neurodegenerative disease, and cognitive disorders. Their results are published this week in the journal Neuron.  http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/03/targeted-rna-protein-synthesis/ Wed, 09 Mar 2011 17:00:00 GMT A simple test performed at the sideline of sporting events can accurately detect concussions in athletes, according to study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Current sideline tests can leave a wide amount a brain function untested following concussion. Penn researchers showed that this simple test adds to current methods and accurately and reliably identified athletes with head trauma. The study appears online now in Neurology. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/02/sideline-test-detects-concussions/ Wed, 02 Feb 2011 21:00:00 GMT The launch of the International Genomics of Alzheimer’s Project (IGAP) -- a collaboration formed to discover and map the genes that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease -- was announced today by a multi-national group of researchers. The collaborative effort, spanning universities from both Europe and the United States, will combine the knowledge, staff and resources of four consortia that conduct research on Alzheimer’s disease genetics. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/02/international-alzheimers-genetics-consortium/ Tue, 01 Feb 2011 17:00:00 GMT Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) are characterized by protein clumps in brain and spinal-cord cells that include an RNA-binding protein called TDP-43. This protein is the major building block of the lesions formed by these clumps. In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, a team led by Virginia M.-Y. Lee, PhD, director of Penn's Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, describes the first direct evidence of how mutated TDP-43 can cause neurons to die. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/01/tdp43-nerve-cell-death/ Tue, 04 Jan 2011 17:00:00 GMT Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine's Udall Center for Parkinson's Research have developed the first blood-based biomarker test to predict cognitive decline in Parkinson's disease (PD). If results can be replicated and standardized in other Parkinson patients, by other investigators, the test could be a useful tool to use in selecting patients for the development of new drugs that can slow or prevent this complication of the disease. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2010/11/parkinsons-cognitive-impairment-blood-test/ Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:00:00 GMT Mimicking the reflective iridescence of a butterfly's wing, Penn investigators have developed a color-changing patch that could be worn on soldiers' helmets and uniforms to indicate the strength of exposure to blasts from explosives in the field. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2010/11/blast-badge-indicates-brain-injury-risk/ Mon, 29 Nov 2010 14:00:00 GMT Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have documented a novel form of splicing in the cytoplasm of a nerve cell, which dictates a special form of a potassium channel protein in the outer membrane. The channel protein is found in the dendrites of hippocampus cells -- the seat of memory, learning, and spatial navigation -- and is involved in coordinating the electrical firing of nerve cells. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2010/11/neuron-cytoplasm-protein-splicing/ Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:00:00 GMT Finding a drug that can cross the blood-brain barrier is the bane of drug development for Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders of the brain. A new Penn study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, has found and tested in an animal model of Alzheimer's disease a class of drug that is able to enter the brain, where it stabilizes degenerating neurons and improves memory and learning. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2010/10/alzheimers-drug-stabilizes-neurons/ Mon, 18 Oct 2010 15:00:01 GMT Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have established in animal models that the brain comes in and out of a state of induced unconsciousness through different processes. The findings, published in PLoS One, may help researchers better understand serious sleep disorders and states of impaired consciousness such as comas.  http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2010/08/anesthesia-sleep-wake-transition/ Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:30:00 GMT An international study led by biologists and neuroscientists from the University of Pennsylvania has identified a new genetic risk factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2010/08/als-genetic-risk-factor/ Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:00:00 GMT A new study provides additional evidence that a biomarker test can be used to reliably determine an Alzheimer's disease diagnosis. The diagnostic biomarker test is able to detect the presence of known Alzheimer's disease biomarkers found in cerebral spinal fluid (CSF). http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2010/08/alzheimers-spinal-fluid-test/ Mon, 09 Aug 2010 21:00:00 GMT Soccer referees may have an unconscious bias towards calling fouls based on a play’s direction of motion, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found that soccer experts made more foul calls when action moved right-to-left, or leftward, compared to rightward action, suggesting that two referees watching the same play from different vantage points may be inclined to make a different call. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2010/07/soccer-referees-directional-bias/ Wed, 07 Jul 2010 22:00:00 GMT Patients who received deep brain stimulation (DBS) experienced comparable benefits for the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease when DBS was delivered at either of two sites in the brain, contrary to the current belief that DBS has different motor effects when delivered at either of the two sites. The findings are reported in the June 3, 2010 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2010/06/parkinsons-dbs-motor-function-effects/ Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:00:00 GMT In the most comprehensive study to date, neurologists have clearly identified significant differences in the ways that Alzheimer's disease (AD) affects patients with and without a known genetic risk factor for the neurodegenerative disease, the apolipoprotein E ε4 gene (APOE ε4), using a combination of cognitive and neuroanatomic measures. The study found that this gene influences the way the disease manifests, even at its mildest clinical stages. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2010/05/alzheimers-gene-effects/ Mon, 17 May 2010 20:00:00 GMT Certain types of Parkinson’s disease medications are linked to impulse control disorders, such as pathological gambling, compulsive shopping and binge eating, according to a study of more than 3,000 Parkinson’s disease patients by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2010/05/parkinsons-medication-compulsive-behavior/ Mon, 10 May 2010 21:30:00 GMT A team of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine demonstrate how mutations in the STRAD-alpha gene can cause a disease called PMSE (polyhydramnios, megalencephaly, and symptomatic epilepsy) syndrome, found in a handful of Amish children. PMSE is characterized by an abnormally large brain, cognitive disability, and severe, treatment-resistant epilepsy. The finding provides insights into how a signaling pathway involved in PSME may be associated with other neurological disorders. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2010/05/psme-neurological-disorders/ Mon, 10 May 2010 16:00:00 GMT Penn Medicine scientists and colleagues have developed a brain implant that essentially melts into place, snugly fitting to the brain’s surface. The technology could pave the way for better devices to monitor and control seizures, and to transmit signals from the brain past damaged parts of the spinal cord. The ultrathin flexible implants, made partly from silk, can record brain activity more faithfully than thicker implants embedded with similar electronics. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2010/04/silk-based-brain-implants/ Tue, 20 Apr 2010 15:00:00 GMT A team of cardiologists, materials scientists, and bioengineers have created and tested a new type of implantable device for measuring the heart’s electrical output that they say is a vast improvement over current devices. The new device represents the first use of flexible silicon technology for a medical application. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2010/03/flexible-silicon-device/ Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:00:00 GMT The University of Pennsylvania and AstraZeneca today announced a new collaborative research agreement to make use of their respective talents and resources in an effort to bridge the transition from drug discovery to development.  http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2010/03/alzheimers-research-collaboration/ Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:00:00 GMT Building on his research indicating that the brain during sleep is fundamentally different from the brain during wakefulness, Marcos Frank, PhD, has found that cellular changes in the sleeping brain may promote the formation of memories. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2010/02/sleep-brain-development/ Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:00:00 GMT Although mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), better known as concussion, affects over 1 million people each year in the United States, it is generally ignored as a major health issue. However, this "mild" form of injury induces persisting neurological and cognitive problems in many of these patients, exacting an enormous emotional and financial toll on society. Penn's Douglas Smith, MD, presented on this topic at the 2010 meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2010/02/mild-traumatic-brain-injury/ Fri, 19 Feb 2010 22:00:00 GMT Examining brain tissue from over 500 individuals in 11 countries, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and colleagues found a new risk factor for the second-most-common cause of early-onset dementia after Alzheimer’s disease. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2010/02/dementia-risk-factor/ Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:00:00 GMT For the first time, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found that three different degenerative brain disorders are linked by a toxic form of the same protein. The protein, called Elk-1, was found in clumps of misshaped proteins that are the hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Huntington’s disease. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2010/02/toxic-protein-brain-diseases/ Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:00:00 GMT The upcoming issue of TIME magazine includes research from a team of Penn Medicine and CHOP autism genetics experts among it’s Top Ten Medical Breakthroughs of 2009. The team first reported that multiple gene variants, both common and rare, may raise the risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in the journal Nature in April. The first study suggested that a particular genetic variation, found on a cluster between CDH10 and CDH9 on chromosome 5, is found in about 15 percent of children with autism, according to co-senior author Gerard Schellenberg, PhD, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. The second study identified missing or duplicated stretches of DNA along two crucial gene pathways. Both studies detected genes implicated in the development of brain circuitry in early childhood. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/12/autism-genetics-top-breakthrough/ Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:30:00 GMT Neurology researchers have shown that feeding amino acids to brain-injured animals restores their cognitive abilities and may set the stage for the first effective treatment for cognitive impairments suffered by people with traumatic brain injuries. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/12/brain-injury-amino-acid-diet/ Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:00:00 GMT Rita Balice-Gordon, PhD, professor of Neuroscience, and Josep Dalmau, MD, PhD, professor of Neurology, both of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, have been awarded the McKnight Neuroscience of Brain Disorders Award for 2010. Balice-Gordon and Dalmau discovered that some diseases, which patients have been told have no cure, can be attributed to disorders of the immune system. They were recognized for their research project, Cellular, Synaptic and Circuit Mechanisms of Autoimmune anti-Glutamate Receptor Disorders of Memory and Cognition. The McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience provides grants to projects exploring the biology of neurological and psychiatric diseases. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/12/neuroscience-brain-disorders-award/ Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:20:00 GMT The presence of a gene can predict when a traumatic brain injury (TBI) will lead to early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study from neuroscientists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Amyloid plaque deposits, known primarily for their role in Alzheimer’s disease, are found in nearly one third of people who die from acute TBI, within just hours of a brain injury and in people of all ages. This build up of Alzheimer’s-like deposits can be predicted by a variation in the gene that codes for the amyloid-busting enzyme, neprilsyin. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/brain-injury-alzheimers-genetic-risk/ Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:00:00 GMT Four professors from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, among them neuroscience researcher Amita Sehgal, PhD, have been elected as members of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), one of the nation's highest honors in biomedicine. The new members bring Penn's total to 72, out of a total active membership of 1,610. Overall, the IOM named 65 new members this year and five foreign associates. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/10/institute-of-medicine/ Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:00:00 GMT A new class of molecules capable of blocking the formation of specific protein clumps that are believed to contribute to the dementia of Alzheimer’s disease patients has been discovered by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the NIH Chemical Genomics Center. By assaying close to 300,000 compounds, the team has identified drug-like inhibitors of AD tau protein clumping, as reported in the journal Biochemistry. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/08/tau-protein-inhibitors/ Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:00:00 GMT Jason Karlawish, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Medical Ethics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and colleagues presented findings at the Alzheimer's Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD 2009) from a survey of American Academy of Neurology (AAN) members that assessed how neurologists are diagnosing and treating patients with mild cognitive symptoms. Results show that neurologists regularly see and treat people with MCI, despite the fact that the medications they are prescribing are not FDA-approved for this particular diagnostic category. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/07/mild-cognitive-impairment/ Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:45:00 GMT The Alzheimer's Association recognized four scientists for their extraordinary achievements in advancing Alzheimer's research at its 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD 2009) in Vienna, Austria. The 2009 Khalid Iqbal Lifetime Achievement Award was awarded to Virginia M.-Y. Lee, Ph.D., M.B.A., director of Penn’s Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research. Dr. Lee's research focus includes determining the genesis and roles of various normal and abnormal brain proteins (amyloid, tau, etc.) thought to be the keys to the cause and progression of numerous brain diseases, including Alzheimer's. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/07/virginia-lee-alzheimers-lifetime-achievement-award/ Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:40:00 GMT More pieces in the complex autism inheritance puzzle are emerging in the latest study from a research team including geneticists from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and several collaborating institutions. This study identified 27 different genetic regions where rare copy number variations – missing or extra copies of DNA segments – were found in the genes of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), but not in the healthy controls. The complex combination of missing or extra copies of certain genes is thought to interfere with gene function, which can disrupt the production of proteins necessary for normal neurological development. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/06/autism-gene-mutations/ Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:00:00 GMT Researchers have made an important step forward in understanding the complex genetic structure of autism spectrum disorders. A researcher collaboration, including geneticists from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), have detected variations along a genetic pathway that is responsible for neurological development, learning and memory, which appears to play a significant role in the genetic risk of autism. Their findings were published in the journal Nature. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/04/autism-genetics.html Tue, 28 Apr 2009 18:00:00 GMT For the past decade, researchers have tried to tweak cells at the gene and nucleus level to reprogram their identity. Now, working on the idea that the signature of a cell is defined by molecules called messenger RNAs, which contain the chemical blueprint for how to make a protein, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, School of Arts and Sciences and School of Engineering have found another way to change one cell type into another. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/04/rna-cell-reprogramming.html Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:00:00 GMT Gerard Schellenberg, PhD, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of 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. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/04/alzheimers-genetic-markers.html Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:50:00 GMT Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have engineered transplantable living nerve tissue that encourages and guides regeneration in an animal model. About 300,000 Americans suffer peripheral nerve injuries every year, in many cases resulting in permanent loss of motor function, sensory function, or both. But there are insufficient means for repair, according to neurosurgeons. "We have created a three-dimensional neural network, a living conduit in culture, which can be transplanted en masse to an injury site," explains senior author Douglas H. Smith, MD, Professor, Department of Neurosurgery and Director of the Center for Brain Injury and Repair at Penn. Smith and colleagues have successfully grown, transplanted, and integrated axon bundles that act as ‘jumper cables’ to the host tissue in order to bridge a damaged section of nerve. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/03/nerve-regeneration.html Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:10:00 GMT A test capable of confirming or ruling out Alzheimer’s disease has been validated and standardized by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. By measuring cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of two of the disease’s biochemical hallmarks – amyloid beta42 peptide and tau protein – the test also predicted whether a person’s mild cognitive impairment would convert to Alzheimer’s disease over time. Researchers were able to detect this devastating disease at the earliest stages, before dementia symptoms appeared and widespread irreversible damage occurred. The findings hold promise in the search for effective pharmaceutical therapies capable of halting the disease. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/03/csf-alzheimers-biomarker.html Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:00:00 GMT The human brain's sensitivity to unexpected outcomes plays a fundamental role in the ability to adapt and learn new behaviors, according to a new study by a team of psychologists and neuroscientists from the University of Pennsylvania. Using a computer-based card game and microelectrodes to observe neuronal activity of the brain, the Penn study, published this week in the journal Science, suggests that neurons in the human substantia nigra, or SN, play a central role in reward-based learning, modulating learning based on the discrepancy between the expected and the realized outcome. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/03/learning-unexpected.html Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:30:00 GMT A University of Pennsylvania team has completed the first successful demonstration of a noninvasive optical device to monitor cerebral blood flow in patients with acute stroke, a leading cause of disability and death. The study is part of a $2.8 million, five-year Bioengineering Research Partnership grant from the National Institutes of Health and the University of Pennsylvania Health System Comprehensive Neuroscience Center. Principal investigator Arjun Yodh, professor of physics in the School of Arts and Sciences at Penn is joined by Rick Van Berg from the High Energy group of the Department of Physics and clinical collaborators John Detre, MD, Associate Professor of Neurology and Radiology, Joel Greenberg, PhD, Research Professor of Neurology and Scott Kasner, MD, MSCE, Associate Professor of Neurology in the School of Medicine at Penn. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/03/monitoring-brain-blood-flow.html Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:20:00 GMT If you ever argued with your mother when she told you to get some sleep after studying for an exam instead of pulling an all-nighter, you owe her an apology, because it turns out she's right. And now, scientists are beginning to understand why. In research published this week in Neuron, Marcos Frank, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience, at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, postdoctoral researcher Sara Aton, PhD, and colleagues describe for the first time how cellular changes in the sleeping brain promote the formation of memories. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/02/sleep-memory-formation.html Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:00:00 GMT A connection between genetic and environmental causes of Parkinson’s disease has been discovered by a research team led by Aaron D. Gitler, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Gitler and colleagues found a genetic interaction between two Parkinson's disease genes (alpha-synuclein and PARK9) and determined that the PARK9 protein can protect cells from manganese poisoning, which is an environmental risk factor for a Parkinson’s disease-like syndrome. The findings appear online this week in Nature Genetics. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/02/parkinsons-manganese.html Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:00:00 GMT Studies at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine on brain electrical signaling offer a fresh perspective on vertebrate evolution, provide additional evidence supporting Darwinian views of evolution, and may also lead to more effective treatment of epileptic seizures in infants. Researchers discovered how evolutionary changes produced a series of improvements in molecules generating electrical signals in nerves between 550 and 400 million years ago. By making nervous systems faster and smarter, these innovations appear to have contributed to the evolutionary success and diversity of vertebrate animals. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/01/evolution-epilepsy.html Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:00:00 GMT Michael P. Nusbaum, PhD, Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, will receive over $2.7 million over the next seven years from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to understand how a fundamental aspect of molecular signaling in the nervous system, called neuromodulation, modifies sensory-motor integration to enable a single neural network to generate the appropriate coordinated movement in different contexts. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2008/11/nusbaum-javits-neuroscience-award.html Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:00:00 GMT University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine researchers have discovered how the expression of the Sonic hedgehog gene is regulated during brain development and how mutations that alter this process cause brain malformations. The results appear online this month in Nature Genetics. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2008/10/sonic-brain-development.html Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine are conducting studies on an experimental medication to block nerve damage and inflammation in the brain that can lead to progressive memory loss and behavioral changes in people with Alzheimer’s disease. Current Alzheimer’s disease therapies focus on improving symptoms rather than attacking the root of the disease progression. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2008/09/alzheimers-clinical-trial.html Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have identified a protein from a most unlikely source -- baker’s yeast -- that might protect against Parkinson’s disease. More than a million Americans suffer from Parkinson's disease, and no treatments are available that fundamentally alter the course of the condition. By introducing the yeast protein Hsp104 into animal models of Parkinson’s disease, researchers prevented protein clumping that leads to nerve cell death characteristic of the disorder. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2008/08/hsp104-parkinsons-protein.html While scientists and physicians know what happens if you don’t get six to eight hours of shut-eye a night, investigators have long been puzzled about what controls the actual need for sleep. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine might have an answer, at least in fruit flies. In a recent study of fruit flies, they identified a gene that controls sleep. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2008/07/sleepless-fly-gene.html Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have identified two new techniques to detect the progression of Alzheimer’s disease earlier. By catching Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms are apparent, physicians can prescribe treatments to slow down the disease progression. In one study, researchers identified abnormal structural changes in the brains of seemingly normal elderly that indicated mild cognitive impairment, a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease. In a second study, researchers detected changes in cells that may help predict the transition from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2008/07/alzheimers-early-detection.html Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have shown that mutations in two proteins associated with familial Alzheimer's disease disrupt the flow of calcium ions within neurons. The two proteins, called PS1 and PS2 (presenilin 1 and 2), interact with a calcium release channel in an intracellular cell compartment. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2008/07/calcium-channels-alzheimers.html The Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research (CNDR) at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine has received $500,000 from the Bilger Foundation to identify new approaches and unique drug targets for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and, through its Drug Discovery Center, translate these research findings into new therapeutic drugs. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2008/07/cndr-bilger-gift.html Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have shown that the unfolded protein response, which is an adaptive response to stress induced by sleep deprivation, is impaired in the brains of old mice. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2008/06/upr-cellular-aging-mice.html Two years ago researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine discovered that misfolded proteins called TDP-43 accumulated in the motor areas of the brains of patients with amyotropic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease. Now, the same group has shown that TDP-43 accumulates throughout the brain, suggesting ALS has broader neurological effects than previously appreciated and treatments need to take into account more than motor neuron areas. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2008/06/als-tdp43-throughout-brain.html Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that introns, or junk DNA to some, associated with RNA are an important molecular guide to making nerve-cell electrical channels. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/feb08/nerve-cell.html The entire January issue of NeuroSignals is devoted to describing neurodegenerative disease research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Health System. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jan08/special-issue.html James Shorter, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, has been named an inaugural recipient of the 2007 NIH Director's New Innovator Award. This highly prestigious award totals 1.5 million in direct costs over five years to each of 29 investigators, many of whom are in the early stages of their careers. More than 2,100 applications were received for this extremely competitive program. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/oct07/biochemist-NIH-award.html Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Abramson Cancer Center have begun ACT III – a Phase II/III Randomized Study – to investigate the addition of CDX-110 vaccine to standard care maintenance chemotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most aggressive form of primary brain tumor. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/aug07/brain-tumor-vaccine-trial.html Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine report how the gene for utrophin, which codes for a protein very similar to dystrophin, the defective protein in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), puts the brakes on its own expression in muscle cells, thereby suggesting a new target for treatment. The findings were published online in Molecular Biology Cell, in advance of print publication. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jul07/target-muscular-dystrophy.html The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine will receive $1.5 million annually from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) over the next five years to study the molecular mechanisms that underlie the cognitive and movement aspects of Parkinson’s disease, as well as enhance the care and treatment of patients and training of physicians. The Penn Udall Center is the only center to focus on dementia and Parkinson’s disease. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jun07/parkinsons-center-excellence.html Many age-related neurological diseases are associated with defective proteins accumulating in nerve cells, suggesting that the cell's normal disposal mechanisms are not operating correctly. Now, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered a molecular link between the cell's two major pathways for breaking down proteins and have succeeded in using this link to rescue neurodegenerative diseases in a simple animal model. The study appears this week in Nature. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jun07/cell-protein-recycling.html Using new MRI techniques to analyze tissue composition and structure in the brain, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the National Institute on Aging successfully detected mild cognitive disorder (MCI), a condition in which patients suffer mild memory problems and is often an early symptom of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Results of the research were published in a recent issue of Neurobiology of Aging. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jun07/mri-early-alzheimers.html David F. Dinges, PhD, Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry, Chief of the Division of Sleep and Chronobiology, and Director of the Unit for Experimental Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, has been awarded the 2007 Distinguished Public Service Medal from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/may07/dinges-NASA-medal.html Most research on Lou Gehrig's disease therapeutics has been based on the assumption that its two forms (sporadic and hereditary) are similar in their underlying cause. Now, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found an absolute biochemical distinction between these two disease variants, suggesting that current approaches to drug discovery should be re-examined. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/may07/forms-ALS-biochemically-different.html Using a new type of drug that targets a specific genetic defect, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, along with colleagues at PTC Therapeutics Inc. and the University of Massachusetts Medical School, have for the first time demonstrated restoration of muscle function in a mouse model of Duchenne's muscular dystrophy (DMD). The research appears ahead of print in an advanced online publication of Nature. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/apr07/muscle-restoration-muscular-dystrophy.html According to a study that appears in the April 17 issue of Neurology, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found that natalizumab (TYSABRI-reg-) -- a drug that slows disability and reduces relapse rates in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) -- also reduces vision loss in patients with relapsing MS. Vision loss is one of the most common and disabling symptoms of MS. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/apr07/ms-drug-vision.html Using a novel video-imaging system, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have been able to observe proteins important in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease moving along axons, extensions of nerve cells that carry proteins away from the cell body. Understanding this process of axonal transport is important for studying many neurodegenerative diseases. The study appeared in the Journal of Neuroscience. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/apr07/axon-protein-movement.html In 2002, Thomas and Carol Hallinan, of Northeast Philadelphia, lost their son, Peter, 31, to Anaplastic Oligodendroglioma -- a type of brain tumor that affects 190,000 people in the U.S. each year, and is the second most common cause of cancer death in young people ages 15-34. To honor their son's memory, The Hallinans have partnered with the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn's Department of Neurosurgery to build support for the advancement of clinical research for patients who suffer from brain tumors. 'For Pete's Sake' -- an evening of dinner, dancing, and a silent auction -- is a sold-out event with an expected attendance of 250 people. Proceeds will support brain tumor research at Penn. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/mar07/brain-tumor-event.html Unlike most of our sensory systems that detect only one type of stimuli, our sense of smell works double duty, detecting both chemical and mechanical stimuli to improve how we smell, according to University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine researchers in the March issue of Nature Neuroscience. This finding, plus the fact that both types of stimuli produce reaction in olfactory nerve cells, which control how our brain perceives what we smell, explains why we sniff to smell something, and why our sense of smell is synchronized with inhaling. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/mar07/mechanics-of-smell.html Over 150 third and fourth graders from the Penn Alexander School, the Henry C. Lea School, the Charles R. Drew School, and the Sterck/Delaware School for the Deaf will spend a morning on the Penn campus 'judging' hands-on science activities developed by undergraduate students in Penn's Biological Basis of Behavior program and graduate students in neuroscience. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/mar07/kids-judge-science-fair.html For individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), transitioning from adolescence to adulthood presents many challenging issues. In addition to the usual stresses of adolescence, young adults with ASD need help dealing with social skills, sexuality, and, at times, extreme anxiety that may result from tension and confusion. Adults with ASD face communication and social problems that can affect employment, personal relationships, and the other skills needed to live an independent life. These challenges affect not only the individual, but also their parents, siblings, and other friends and family members. As children with ASD transition into adulthood, those who care for them are often left asking, “what now?” http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/mar07/autism-conference.html Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that common inhaled anesthetics increase the number of amyloid plaques in the brains of animals, which might accelerate the onset of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. Roderic Eckenhoff, MD, Vice Chair of Research in the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, and his co-authors, report their findings in the March 7th online edition of Neurobiology of Aging. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/mar07/anesthesia-alzheimers-plaque.html Physicians initially diagnosed Phil Marfuta, 28, with tension headaches, which seemed reasonable to him since he is a busy graduate student studying physics at Princeton University. However, as the days went on his headaches did not subside, and when a CT scan and an MRI revealed two tumors, Phil underwent emergency surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. One of Phil’s tumors was a grade IV glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), which is the most aggressive form of primary brain tumor. Typically once diagnosed, the median survival time for a patient with a GBM is 12 months. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/feb07/brain-tumor-trial.html Approximately 9 million to 15 million people in the U.S. suffer from recurrent bouts of dizziness and 3 million experience symptoms of dizziness nearly every day. According to a paper that appears in the February issue of Archives of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found that chronic subjective dizziness (CSD) may have several common causes, including anxiety disorders, migraine, mild traumatic brain injuries, and neurally mediated dysautonomias – disorders in the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary actions. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/feb07/chronic-subjective-dizziness.html The University of Pennsylvania has received a $2 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation of Los Angeles for a pioneering study on the genomics of Parkinson's disease. The Keck Foundation's program supports basic biomedical research and the development of pioneering new technologies. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/feb07/keck-grant-parkinsons.htm Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have shown that impaired function and loss of synapses in the hippocampus of a mouse form of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is related to the activation of immune cells called microglia, which cause inflammation. These events precede the formation of tangles -- twisted fibers of tau protein that build up inside nerve cells -- a hallmark of advanced AD. The researchers report their findings in the February 1 issue of Neuron. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jan07/microglia-activation-alzheimers.htm WITH VIDEOS: Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that microtubules – components responsible for shape, movement, and replication within cells – use proteins that act as molecular motors and brakes to organize into their correct structure. If microtubules are not formed properly such basic functions as cell division and transport can go wrong, which may have implications in such disease processes as cancer and dementia. The study, published in the January issue of Cell, is featured on the cover of that issue. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jan07/microtubule-molecular-motor-brake.htm Investigators at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine describe the basis for developing a biological interface that could link a patient's nervous system to a thought-driven artificial limb. Their conceptual framework - which brings together years of spinal-cord injury research - is published in the January issue of Neurosurgery. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jan07/thought-driven-artificial-limb.htm Topics include being sleepy behind the wheel, keeping your New Year's resolutions, winter skin, the risks in shoveling snow, and restless legs syndrome (RLS). http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/dec06/holiday-season-health-experts.htm The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine's Department of Psychiatry and the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia will host 'The Vulcanization of the Human Mind: Neuroimaging, Decision-Making, and Ethics,' a panel discussion exploring how humans make complex decisions involving risk, reward, danger and right and wrong. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/dec06/psychiatry-panel-discussion.htm Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered decreased activity in the frontal lobes, an area of the brain associated with being in control of one's self, in subjects who were 'speaking in tongues' (glossolalia). http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/oct06/glossolalia.htm Three professors at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine were elected yesterday as members of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), one of the nation's highest honors in biomedicine. The new members bring Penn's total to 58, out of over 1500 worldwide. Overall, 65 new members were named this year. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/oct06/IOM.htm Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered the major disease protein for two neurodegenerative disorders: a type of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig's disease. A protein called TDP-43 was found to accumulate abnormally in post-mortem brain tissue from individuals diagnosed with either disease. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/oct06/TDP43.htm Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine discovered that children with autism showed signs of abnormal blood-vessel function and damaging levels of oxidative stress compared to healthy children. The children with autism possessed levels of biochemicals that indicate the presence of constricted blood vessels via the endothelium (the cells that line vessels) with a higher tendency to form clots (through cells called platelets). http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/aug06/autbldvsl.htm Truck drivers who routinely get too little sleep or suffer from sleep apnea show signs of fatigue and impaired performance that can make them a hazard on the road, according to a major new study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/aug06/drvslp.htm Mary Ann Keenan, MD, Chief of Neuro-Orthopaedics for the University of Pennsylvania Health System, has been named a recipient of the first-annual Ladies' Home Journal Health Breakthrough Awards. The award recognizes leading medical professionals who are making life-saving and life-enhancing discoveries in research, treatment and diagnostics that have significantly helped women and families. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/aug06/keenanLHJ.htm Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine are examining the effectiveness of meditation on early cognitive impairment. Once this new study is completed, the results could help answer lingering questions over whether or not stress-reducing techniques and mind exercises can lessen or even prevent cognitive decline. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jul06/medcog.htm Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine estimate that the human retina can transmit visual input at about the same rate as an Ethernet connection, one of the most common local area network systems used today. They present their findings in the July issue of Current Biology. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jul06/retinput.htm Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found that chronic ibuprofen therapy given after brain injury worsens cognitive abilities. These findings - in a preliminary, animal-model study - have important implications for traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients who are often prescribed such nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) as ibuprofen for chronic pain. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jul06/NSAIDbrain.htm Over the last several months, the labs of Yale Goldman, MD, PhD, Director of the Pennsylvania Muscle Institute at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and Erika Holzbaur, PhD, Professor of Physiology, have published a group of papers that, taken together, show proteins that function as molecular motors are surprisingly flexible and agile, able to navigate obstacles within the cell. These observations could lead to better ways to treat motor neuron diseases. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jul06/molmotors.htm Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have isolated a new source of adult stem cells that appear to have the potential to differentiate into several cell types. If their approach to growing these cells can be scaled up and proves to be safe and effective in animal and human studies, it could one day provide the tissue needed by an individual for treating a host of disorders, including peripheral nerve disease, Parkinson's disease, and spinal cord injury. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jul06/stemfoll.htm Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have identified a new protein required for the circadian response to light in fruit flies. The discovery of this protein - named JET - brings investigators one step closer to understanding the process by which the body's internal clock synchronizes to light. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jun06/JET.htm Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, in collaboration with scientists at the City University of New York, have identified a striking dysregulation in neuronal receptor activity in the postmortem brain tissue from patients with schizophrenia. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jun06/schzrcptr.htm Members of the media are invited to come see an amazing new PET/CT at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Its powerful advanced 'time-of-flight' technology, pioneered in part at Penn, makes it the first clinical machine of its kind in the world. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jun06/PETCTITC.htm Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that a brain region previously known for its role in learning and memory also serves as the location of sleep regulation in fruit flies. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jun06/sleepreg.htm The University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) has announced today that they will begin construction on a new proton therapy treatment facility to provide patients in the greater-Philadelphia region and beyond with the most advanced and sophisticated form of cancer treatment available. To be equipped by the Ion Beam Application, S.A. (IBA) company based in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, the proton therapy center will be located adjacent to The Raymond and Ruth Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, a $302 million structure that is now being built to house Penn's outpatient cancer, cardiovascular, diagnostic, and surgical services. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jun06/protonCAM.htm The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania and the Brain Tumor Society present a one-day seminar designed for pediatric and adult brain tumor patients, survivors, and their caregivers. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jun06/BTSsem.htm Media Advisory -- The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania and the Brain Tumor Society present a one-day seminar designed for pediatric and adult brain tumor patients, survivors, and their caregivers. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jun06/BTSsemMA.htm Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine discovered that a protein called Elk-1 interacts with mitochondria, the energy storehouse of a cell, suggesting that this protein - typically active in the nucleus - could play a role in cell death, and mitochondria-related diseases such as neurodegeneration and schizophrenia. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jun06/BTSsem.htm