Medicine & Health

Many of the same genes influence both alcohol and marijuana use as well as dependence on those substances, according to researchers at the School of Medicine. Together, these genes make some people more likely to drink alcohol or use marijuana. As consumption of alcohol or use of marijuana increases, risk of dependency rises.

Four Washington University faculty members have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society. The rank of fellow is the highest honor awarded by the association and is bestowed upon members by their peers.

Neill Wright, associate professor of neurosurgery and of orthopedic surgery, has been named the Herbert Lourie Professor in Neurosurgery at the School of Medicine. Washington University Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton and Larry J. Shapiro, executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine, announced the appointment.

For the first time, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have shown that brain plaques in apparently healthy individuals are associated with increased risk of diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease years later. In two studies published this month in Archives of Neurology, scientists report that volunteers with brain plaques were more likely to have declining scores on annual cognitive tests, to show signs of shrinkage in a key brain area affected by Alzheimer’s and to eventually be diagnosed with the disease.

Obese patients who lost a moderate amount of weight by eating less and exercising more improved their cardiovascular health, new research at the School of Medicine shows.

Psychiatric disorders are underdiagnosed, poorly treated and highly stigmatized, according to Washington University psychiatrists Charles F. Zorumski, and Eugene H. Rubin, who have written a book to address those problems. The authors will sign copies of their book Friday, Dec. 11, from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at the School of Medicine Bookstore.

A receptor that removes cholesterol from the blood also may reduce the formation of brain plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease, suggest researchers at the School of Medicine.

New School of Medicine research did not find long-term cognitive declines attributable to surgery in a group of older patients.

A laboratory connection between Alzheimer’s disease and brain-wasting diseases such as the human form of mad cow disease has moved into the clinic for what is believed to be the first time, manifesting itself in the brains of patients with a rare inherited disorder, new research shows.

Research into the causes and treatment of multiple myeloma has received a significant boost thanks to a gift to the School of Medicine from Harvey and Linda Saligman of St. Louis.