Tag Animal research
Researchers are using machine learning to understand how brain cells work
Called manifold learning, the approach may help researchers better understand and even predict brain disorders by looking at specific neuronal properties.
Perception study may explain promising depression therapy
Ketamine has been shown to relieve depression-like symptoms in animal studies. With human volunteers, researchers Sounak Mohanta and Yuri Saalmann concluded that the drug blocks "negative predictions" that are prominent in depressed patients.
Microbes help hibernating animals recycle nutrients, maintain muscle through winter
The discovery could help people with muscle-wasting disorders and even astronauts on extended space voyages by putting space travelers into a hibernation-like state.
Current anti-COVID pills work well against omicron, but antibody drugs are less effective
Public health officials expect antiviral pills to become an increasingly common treatment for COVID-19 that will reduce the severity of the disease in at-risk patients and decrease the burden of the pandemic.
UW–Madison researchers lead effort to create a universal coronavirus vaccine
If the world already had a pan-coronavirus vaccine in March 2020, it could have served as a mitigation tool until vaccines specific to SARS-CoV-2 could be developed.
Boosting one gene in the brain’s helper cells slows Alzheimer’s progression in mice
High activity of the gene, Nrf2, slowed cognitive and physical decline in the mice and reduced the accumulation of sticky proteins in their brains, all key markers of the disease in humans.
Seizures and memory problems in epilepsy may have a common cause
A new study could lead to earlier diagnosis of epilepsy and possibly new ways to treat epilepsy and other disorders that share symptoms, like Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury and autism spectrum disorder.
Promising treatment for Alexander disease moves from rat model to human clinical trials
The rare neurological disorder has no cure and is typically fatal, but a study led by UW–Madison researchers is a significant step in efforts to help people with the disease.
Fasting is required to see the full benefit of calorie restriction in mice
A study led by metabolism researcher Dudley Lamming lends support to preliminary evidence that fasting can boost health in people, and adds to the growing picture of how health is controlled by when and what we eat, not just how much.
New technique, effective in mice, could help advance the use of probiotics
Researchers in the School of Pharmacy, led by Quanyin Hu, have developed a system that can keep probiotic bacteria alive in the lower intestine long enough to help treat or prevent colitis in a mouse model of the disease.
Combining low-dose radiotherapy with immunotherapy eradicates metastatic cancer in mice
UW–Madison and University of Pittsburgh scientists report the method works even when the radiation is given in doses too low to destroy the cancer outright.
Self-powered implantable device stimulates fast bone healing, then disappears without a trace
The thin, flexible device is bioresorbable, so once the bone is knitted back together, the device’s components dissolve within the body.
Uncovering how low-protein diets might reprogram metabolism
Dudley Lamming recognizes his findings are counterintuitive. Much dietary research favors adding protein, not limiting it. But with the majority of the U.S. population being overweight and sedentary, he sees an opportunity to rethink diets.
Designer alterations to brain cells reduce anxious behavior in monkeys, hold promise for new treatments
The technique used by psychiatry Professor Ned Kalin could point to a new way to help people with severe anxiety and other treatment-resistant psychiatric illnesses.
Gel loaded with cancer-fighting cells keeps tumors in check after surgery in mice
The proof-of-concept experiments demonstrate that these gels could help battle cancer at a critical moment: when a tumor has been removed but malignant cells continue to lurk after surgery, ready to grow back.
Metabolic switch may regenerate heart muscle following heart attack
“We believe our findings are a positive step forward in helping millions of people facing heart failure," says Ahmed Mahmoud, professor of cell and regenerative biology.
Disrupted biochemical pathway in the brain linked to bipolar disorder
The results offer a foundation for research into treating the often-overlooked cognitive impairments of bipolar disorder, such as memory loss, and add to a growing understanding of how the biochemistry of the brain affects health and disease.
Chemical signal puts bacteria on path to a bright future with squid host
A tiny molecule found among microscopic bacteria living in a mutually beneficial partnership with golf-ball-sized squid may give scientists a lead on how the bacteria are able to act in concert as a helpful colony instead of millions of individual freeloaders.
Researchers find a better way to measure consciousness
A new study of brain activity could prevent the potential trauma of patients under anesthesia regaining some awareness during medical procedures.
Individualized brain cell grafts reverse Parkinson’s symptoms in monkeys
UW researchers say the stem cell treatment is an "extremely powerful" step toward a treatment for millions of human Parkinson’s patients.