Medicine & Health

Researchers at the School of Medicine have linked a potential indicator of Alzheimer’s disease to brain damage in humans with no signs of mental impairment. Although their cognitive and neurological assessments were normal, study participants with lower levels of a substance known as amyloid beta 42 (A-beta 42) in their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) had reduced whole brain volumes, suggesting that Alzheimer’s changes might already be damaging their brains.

SandellLinda J. Sandell, Ph.D., has been named the Mildred B. Simon Research Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the School of Medicine. “Linda Sandell is a very talented scientist who has contributed a great deal to Washington University and to our understanding of the basic cellular mechanisms behind diseases of the connective tissues,” said Washington University Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton.

A $4 million Era of Hope Scholar Award has been given to Jason Weber, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Oncology at the School of Medicine. Weber will study potential new ways to control breast cancer cell growth. Surprisingly, that’s an area of research that has been relatively neglected.

Blue shows normal brain function, while other colors show overactivity due to depression.Neuroscientists at the School of Medicine have identified a key difference in the way the brain functions in people who are depressed compared to those who are not. The study demonstrates that brain regions, collectively known as the default mode network, behave differently in depressed people. The default network typically is active when the mind wanders. It shuts down when an individual focuses on the job at hand. But the researchers found the network stays active in people who are depressed, even when they are concentrating on specific tasks.

A history of major depression increases the risk of heart disease over and above any genetic risks common to depression and heart disease, according to researchers at the School of Medicine and the VA. The findings are reported this week at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society this week in Chicago.

New findings may significantly improve the safety of methadone, a drug widely used to treat cancer pain and addiction to heroin and other opioid drugs, according to researchers at the School of Medicine and the University of Washington in Seattle. The researchers discovered that the body processes methadone differently than previously believed.

Scientists have long known that cells in the retina called photoreceptors are involved in how vision can adapt to darkness, but a study from investigators at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Boston University School of Medicine has uncovered a new pathway in the retina that allows the cells to adapt following exposure to bright light. The discovery could help scientists better understand human diseases that affect the retina, including age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in Americans over the age of 50.

Spine surgeons at theSchool of Medicine and other U.S. centers are reporting that artificial disc replacement works as well and often better than spinal fusion surgery. The two procedures are performed on patients with damaged discs in the neck.

The Centers for Disease control reports approximately 280,000 Americans are hospitalized each year because of traumatic brain injuries. Explaining the complications associated with these injuries has been a difficult task for doctors. A new research project — the Attention Dynamics Consortium in Traumatic Brain Injury — seeks to better understand the effects of traumatic brain injuries.

Paul Alivisatos, Ph.D., shares his pioneering work with nanocrystals for the Assembly Series at 11 a.m. March 4 in Graham Chapel.