Category: Research

Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological disorder affecting more than 1 million people in the U.S. and more than 10 million globally, is characterized by debilitating symptoms such as tremors, movement difficulties, sleep disturbances and cognitive impairments. While current treatments, including long-term medication and invasive deep brain stimulation (DBS), can alleviate symptoms, they cannot halt progression […]

Children with spina bifida, a malformation of the spinal cord that can lead to mobility impairments and hydrocephalus — a buildup of fluid in the brain — face significant risk of cognitive difficulties throughout their lives. A new multi-center study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Michigan Medicine […]

Startup companies built on Washington University in St. Louis discoveries attracted a record $1.7 billion in private-sector investment over the past year, accelerating the commercialization of WashU innovations into life-changing diagnostics, therapeutics and medical devices. Among those innovations are a blood test to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease; immunotherapies to treat aggressive blood cancers; and an AI-based […]

Prescription stimulants, such as Ritalin and Adderall, are widely used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), including in children. In the U.S., about 3.5 million kids ages 3 to 17 take an ADHD medication, a number that has increased as more children have been diagnosed with the neurodevelopmental disorder.

A new drug may slow progression of — and even reverse —  symptoms of a rare form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a new study published Monday finds. The drug, tofersen, targets a very specific mutation — SOD1 — which applies to only 2% of the ALS population. Among this group, the drug has the potential […]

Historically, people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) experience a relentless decline of neurological function that eventually robs them of the ability to move, speak, eat or breathe. Now, researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and collaborators report that long-term use of tofersen, a new drug approved by the Food and Drug […]

If you need an alarm clock or other assistance to wake up, you’re probably not getting enough sleep, said Dr. Yo-El Ju, a sleep physician scientist and professor of neurology at WashU Medicine in St. Louis.

The first study to evaluate the link between Alzheimer’s disease and body weight found a significant association. Researchers at Washington University Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, discovered that Alzheimer’s blood biomarkers increased 95% faster in people with obesity than in non-obese individuals.

T cells, also known as lymphocytes, are a type of white blood cell that play an important role in the body’s immune response. Historically, blood samples have been used to monitor how T cells respond to a virus, vaccine or immunotherapy. But a new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. […]