4/22
Neuroscience
Scientists say active early learning shapes the adult brain
Through the Abecedarian Project, an early education, randomized controlled trial that has followed children since 1971, Penn and Virginia Tech researchers reveal new discoveries about brain structure decades later.
What happens in the brain when we imagine the future?
Research from neuroscientist Joseph Kable finds that two sub-networks are at work, one focused on creating the new event, another on evaluating whether that event is positive or negative.
Penn seniors target eating disorder risk at Philadelphia public high schools
President’s Engagement Prize-winning project Be Body Positive Philly, led by seniors Christina Miranda and Amanda Moreno, is designed to address eating disorder risk among Philadelphia high school students.
What Parkinson’s disease patients reveal about experiencing art
Penn Medicine researchers find impaired motor function like that experienced by people with Parkinson’s disease, impacts art perception and valuation.
A new theory for what’s happening in the brain when something looks familiar
This novel concept from the lab of neuroscientist Nicole Rust brings the field one step closer to understanding how memory functions. Long-term, it could have implications for treating memory-impairing diseases like Alzheimer’s.
The immune link between a leaky blood-brain barrier and schizophrenia
Research from the School of Veterinary Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia points to the involvement of the immune system the brain as a contributor to mental disorders such as schizophrenia.
How do natural disasters shape the behavior and social networks of rhesus macaques?
A team of researchers from Penn, the University of Exeter, and elsewhere found that after Hurricane Maria monkeys on the devastated island of Cayo Santiago formed more friendships and became more tolerant of each other, despite fewer resources.
The path to deeper connections, even amidst a pandemic
A new book from Penn’s Edward Brodkin and psychology doctoral candidate Ashley Pallathra focuses on the science and practice of attunement, the process by which people can most effectively connect to themselves and others.
Study finds an increased risk of dementia from decades-old head injuries
New Penn Medicine research reveals stronger associations between head injuries and dementia among women compared to men, and among white participants as compared to Black participants.
Jason Karlawish on the science and history of Alzheimer’s
The the co-director of the Penn Memory Center outlines the medical, social, and ethical challenges that surround Alzheimer’s disease.
In the News
A new strategy to attack aggressive brain cancer shrank tumors in two early tests
A clinical trial led by Stephen Bagley of the Perelman School of Medicine suggests that targeting two associated proteins with CAR T cell therapy could be a viable strategy for shrinking brain tumors.
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ADHD may have evolved more than 12,000 years ago as an advantage for foragers, study claims
A study led by David Barack of the Perelman School of Medicine suggests that ADHD may have played a major role in foraging and survival for ancient hunter-gatherers.
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How to stay mentally sharp into your 80s and beyond
According to David Wolk of the Perelman School of Medicine, a healthier body can help the brain respond better to the aging process.
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Blood tests can help diagnose Alzheimer’s—if they’re accurate enough. Not all are
Virginia Man-Yee Lee of the Perelman School of Medicine says it’s likely in the future that anyone older than 60 will get an Alzheimer’s test.
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Some scientists think newborn neurons could reverse Alzheimer’s
Research co-authored by Hongjun Song of the Perelman School of Medicine strengthens the case for human neurogenesis, the development of new neurons from neural progenitor cells.
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The brain may interpret smells from each nostril differently
A study by postdoc Gulce Nazli Dikecligil in the Perelman School of Medicine suggests that the smells flowing through each nostril are processed as two separate signals in the part of the brain that receives smell inputs.
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