School of Medicine

Neuroscientists at the School of Medicine have linked a common post-stroke disability to impaired communication between brain regions. In the March 15 issue of Neuron, researchers report a tight correlation between the degree to which communication was blocked and the severity of patients’ symptoms.

Listed below are this month’s featured news stories. • Side effects of AIDS medications (week of Mar. 7) • Belly fat’s role in disease (week of Mar. 14) • Aneurysm-causing enzyme identified (week of Mar. 21) • Smoking delays ligament healing (week of Mar. 28)

An illustration from “When Grandpa Comes Home: A Story About Stroke,” an online book that teaches children how to cope when a relative suffers a strokeSpeedy treatment is essential to saving lives and preventing brain damage during a stroke. But the rapid pace of events also can leave patients and family members confused about what has happened and what to expect. That’s especially true for children whose parents or grandparents have a stroke. Now an online book is available to teach children about strokes at www.strokecenter.org/patients. More…

An abdominal MRI scan showing the locations of subcutaneous and visceral fatAs scientists learn more about the key role of inflammation in diabetes, heart disease and other disorders, new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that fat in the belly may be an important promoter of that inflammation. It’s well known that excess fat is associated with disease, but the researchers have confirmed that fat cells inside the abdomen are secreting molecules that increase inflammation. It’s the first evidence of a potential mechanistic link between abdominal fat and systemic inflammation. More…

Parag Parikh and Kristen Lechleiter set up the 4D Phantom to simulate the motion of tumors in the lung.Tumors that move, such as those in the lung — which can change position during each breath — are a special problem for radiation oncologists. A group at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has studied the way lung tissues move during breathing in hopes of improving radiation as a treatment for lung cancer. More…

On the battlefield, a soldier’s hearing can be permanently damaged in an instant by the boom of an explosion, and thousands of soldiers returning from Iraq have some permanent hearing loss. But what if soldiers could take a pill before going on duty that would prevent damage to hearing? Research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests a medicinal form of hearing protection may someday be a possibility. More…

Photo by Ray MarklinSchool of Medicine students teach area high-schoolers about preventing HIV and AIDS at an annual Wellness Day.

If you’re particularly good with puzzles or chess, the reason may be in your genes, a team of scientists led by School of Medicine psychiatric geneticists finds.

School of Medicine research raises hopes for a new drug that could prevent small aortic aneurysms from enlarging to the point where surgery is necessary.

Registration is now open for the spring session of Mini Medical School, which begins the week of March 19 at the Eric P. Newman Education Center.