Medicine & Health

For WashU MD/PhD student Sid Sivakumar, studying the brain is like constructing a crossword puzzle. Conveniently, he does both. He crafts puzzles for The New York Times, Washington Post — and now, the Record.

Even slight cognitive changes can affect an older person’s decision to stop driving, according to a new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The findings suggest that routine cognitive testing could help older adults and their physicians make decisions about driving that maximizes safety while preserving independence as long as possible.

Robert Schmidt, MD, PhD, a professor of pathology and immunology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has curated a collection of over 33,000 individually annotated neuropathology images that are now available as a resource to the Washington University and international neuroscience community via a newly launched website.

Eric Thompson, MD, a pediatric neurosurgeon noted for his expertise in caring for children with complex neurological conditions, particularly brain and spinal tumors, has been named director of the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and neurosurgeon-in-chief at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

Washington University is known the world over for being a leader in neuroscience research. And the university underscored its commitment to the neurosciences by building an 11-story hub on the Medical Campus that enables researchers to work more collaboratively and creatively. The goal: to accelerate the translation of science into treatments to help those living with neurodegenerative diseases.

Explore the extensive scope of neuroscience research ongoing at WashU Medicine.

WashU dedicates the new Jeffrey T. Fort Neuroscience Research Building.

Washington University researcher Hong Chen and her team developed a quality assurance protocol to ensure their guided focused ultrasound device and treatment functions safely and consistently.

Two innovative pilot projects led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have received funding from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to address critical challenges in the fields of neurodegeneration and neuroscience.

Researchers at the McKelvey School of Engineering received a three-year $570,746 grant from the National Science Foundation to support their work to understand the fundamental mechanisms that underpin interactions between nerve cells, or neurons, and nanoparticles, which can be used to both sense and stimulate neurons.