Gül Dölen is known for her research on how psychedelics affect “critical periods” and learning. Now at UC Berkeley, she’s exploring how the brain engages with the drug ecstasy and what it might mean for the future of psychedelic-assisted treatment. Though Gül Dölen’s work focuses primarily on critical periods in the brain that are central...
Month: <span>February 2024</span>
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Gender variations in brain aging among Parkinson’s Disease patients
By Vijay Kumar MalesuReviewed by Lily Ramsey, LLM In a recent study published in npj Parkinson’s Disease, researchers explored how sex influences brain aging in Parkinson’s disease (PD) by analyzing Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)-derived brain age differences and their clinical correlations. Study: Differences in brain aging between sexes in Parkinson’s disease. Image Credit: SpeedKingz/Shutterstock.comStudy: Differences...
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The role of odor and verbal cues in recalling memories
By Dr. Priyom Bose, Ph.DReviewed by Lily Ramsey, LLM Disruptions in effortful recall could lead to difficulties in autobiographical memory (AM), a condition associated with major depressive disorder (MDD). A recent JAMA Network Open study assessed whether odor vs word cues could prompt memory in MDD patients with deficits in specific AM recall. Study: Recall...
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Smoking scars the immune system for years after quitting
A cigarette habit and previous infection with a common virus both have important effects on the immune system. By Heidi LedfordClose up of a man as he smokes a cigarette in Sundbyberg, near Stockholm.The immune-system signature of cigarette smoking persists for many years after a person kicks the habit.Credit: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty The impacts...
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Cognitive symptoms common with post-COVID-19 condition, study finds
by Elana Gotkine For individuals with post-COVID-19 condition, cognitive symptoms are common, according to a study published online Feb. 14 in JAMA Network Open. Abhishek Jaywant, Ph.D., from Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, and colleagues examined the prevalence of self-reported cognitive symptoms in post-COVID-19 condition compared to individuals with prior acute severe acute...
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What high triglycerides mean and why it matters to your heart
by Deb Balzer, Mayo Clinic News Network Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public DomainYou may be familiar with high-density, or good cholesterol; low-density lipoproteins (LDL), or bad cholesterol; and their connections to heart health. But what about triglycerides? Often that word gets skimmed over when talking about cholesterol levels. Dr. Regis Fernandes, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist, says triglycerides...
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‘Obesity plus’: What’s next for GLP-1s?
Ayisha SharmaNews ReporterKatherine LewinNews ReporterNovo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are set to make billions of dollars each year off their GLP-1s, but patients and prescribers are still eager for improved drugs, citing GI side effects, muscle loss and weight gain after stopping treatment Add in the potential for drugs like Novo’s semaglutide (marketed as Wegovy...
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New genetic therapy shows promise for motor neuron disease and frontotemporal dementia
by Georgia Gowing, Macquarie University Credit: Neuron (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.01.022Macquarie University neuroscientists have developed a single-dose genetic medicine that has been proven to halt the progression of both motor neuron disease (MND) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in mice—and may even offer the potential to reverse some of the effects of the fatal diseases. It may also...
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A man died from Alaskapox last month. Here’s what we know about the virus
By Joe Hernandez In January, a man living on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula died of Alaskapox. Pictured is Bear Glacier in the Kenai Fjords National Park on Sept. 1, 2015, in Seward, Alaska. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty ImagesAlaska health officials reported last week that a man died in January after contracting a virus known as Alaskapox....
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Superbug killer: New synthetic molecule highly effective against drug-resistant bacteria
Peer-Reviewed Publication HARVARD UNIVERSITY OVERVIEW AND CLOSE-UP OF CRESOMYCIN BOUND TO THE BACTERIAL RIBOSOME OF THERMUS THERMOPHILUS. CREDIT: YURY POLIKANOV/UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS CHICAGO A new antibiotic created by Harvard researchers overcomes antimicrobial resistance mechanisms that have rendered many modern drugs ineffective and are driving a global public health crisis. A team led by Andrew Myers,...