School of Medicine

A genetic mutation found in four children born with multiple abnormalities may provide insight into potential treatments for newborn lung distress and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

DeBaunMichael R. DeBaun has been elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors medical scientists in the United States can receive. DeBaun was recognized for his major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care and public health.

A study of mental decline in the years prior to diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease suggests that changing the focus of testing may help physicians detect signs of the disease much earlier. School of Medicine researchers have found that visuospatial skills, evaluated with tasks such as connecting the dots or using a guide to build a structure with blocks, begin to deteriorate up to three years prior to a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s.

Cells in the retina quickly adjust to darkness by way of an intricate process.Ever wonder how your eyes adjust during a blackout? When we go from light to near total darkness, cells in the retina must quickly adjust. Vision scientists at the School of Medicine have identified an intricate process that allows the human eye to quickly adapt to darkness. The same process also allows the eye to function in bright light.

A new mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) closely resembles the paralyzing disorder in humans, researchers at the School of Medicine report online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

SciFest 09 is festival where everyone can engage in science. The St. Louis Science Center’s SciFest 09, which runs through Oct. 11, brings together world-renowned scientists and experts to help participants see science in a new way. Washington University students and faculty will present sessions exploring everything from the science of baseball and the healing power of puppies to images of a brain at work and the bionics of hip replacements.

Spontaneous brain activity formerly thought to be “white noise” measurably changes after a person learns a new task, researchers at the School of Medicine and the University of Chieti in Italy have shown. The scientists also report that the degree of change reflects how well subjects have learned to perform the task.

Milbrandt Jeffrey D. Milbrandt has been named head of the Department of Genetics and the James S. McDonnell Professor at the School of Medicine. He brings a strength in basic and translational science to his new position and an appreciation of the expanding role of genetics in the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of disease.

A Washington University scientist has won a prestigious NIH Director’s Pioneer Award — one of only 18 given this year — to develop innovative ways to simultaneously monitor the activity of many neurons.

RobinsLee Nelken Robins, professor emeritus of social science in psychiatry at the School of Medicine, died peacefully at her home Sept. 25, 2009, following a long battle against cancer. Robins was a world leader in psychiatric epidemiology research and had worked in the Department of Psychiatry for more than 50 years.