Health and Medicine
Perivascular spaces linked to worse cognition
Mar. 21, 2019—Commonly thought to be harmless, enlargement of fluid-filled in the brain have been linked to cognitive problems in older adults.
Separation anxiety can contribute to toxic body image
Mar. 18, 2019—Young women with separation anxiety tend to over-rely on external cues to define themselves, which can make them vulnerable to internalizing unhealthy body ideals.
Study aims to predict treatment response in epilepsy patients
Mar. 14, 2019—Vanderbilt researchers are on a quest to develop early biomarkers of treatment outcomes for patients with temporal lobe epilepsy based on their individual brain networks.
Reprogramming cells for kidney repair
Mar. 14, 2019—Lauren Woodard and Matthew Wilson have discovered a way to reprogram adult human kidney cells into cells similar to those that form during embryonic development, which could lead to new kidney disease treatments.
Exploring the brain’s white matter
Mar. 14, 2019—Though neurological activity is generally associated with the brain's gray matter, Muwei Li and colleagues have now measured it in white matter as well.
Correctly copying DNA
Mar. 14, 2019—New research into the enzyme topoisomerase II sheds light on how it helps DNA replicate properly.
New way to stimulate learning?
Mar. 14, 2019—Stimulating the vagus nerve triggers certain epigenetic changes involving learning and memory.
Jonathan Metzl examines how hot-button political issues impact health
Mar. 11, 2019—Professor Jonathan Metzl isn’t afraid to tackle society’s most controversial issues, like guns, mass shootings, health care, race, politics and mental illness.
Brain aging occurs at accelerated rate in patients with psychosis
Mar. 7, 2019—Normal brain aging patterns in patients with a psychotic disorder occur at an accelerated rate, impacting the patient’s cognitive functioning and suggesting treatment intervention in the early psychosis period may improve long-term outcomes.
Vanderbilt scientists report new modeling of brain signaling
Mar. 7, 2019—Heidi Hamm and colleagues have reported the first animal model of a "shut-off valve" for neurotransmitter and hormone release through SNARE complex-mediated membrane fusion.
Novel DNA repair mechanism preserves genome integrity: study
Feb. 28, 2019—David Cortez and colleagues have discovered a new DNA repair mechanism.
Investigators map genomic landscape of very rare cancer
Feb. 28, 2019—A team of Vanderbilt researchers mapped out the genomic landscape of a metastatic malignant proliferating tricholemmal tumor and identified a targeted treatment for this very rare cancer.