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Chronic Pain is Relieved by Cell Transplantation in Lab Study
Chronic pain, by definition, is difficult to manage, but a new study by UCSF scientists shows how a cell therapy might one day be used not only to quell some common types of persistent and difficult-to-treat pain, but also to cure the conditions that give rise to them.
Songbirds' Learning Hub in Brain Offers Insight into Motor Control
UCSF scientists have shown that a key brain structure in the Bengalese finch acts as a learning hub, receiving information that helps to improve its song, a finding which may lead to new ways to treat neurological disorders that impair movement such as Parkinson’s disease.
Hellman Visiting Artist Program Fosters Dialogue About Creativity and the Brain
<p>Old-time fiddler Heidi Clare Lambert, artist in residence at UCSF’s Memory and Aging Center, is part of the unique Hellman Visiting Artist Program, which was created to foster dialogue about creativity and the brain.</p>
Rats Recall Past to Make Daily Decisions
UCSF scientists have identified patterns of brain activity in the rat brain that play a role in the formation and recall of memories and decision-making. The discovery, which builds on the team’s previous findings, offers a path for studying learning, decision-making and post-traumatic stress syndrome.
Cardiovascular Safety Concerns Over Smoking-Cessation Drug Misleading
A popular smoking cessation medication has been under a cloud of suspicion ever since the Canadian Medical Association Journal published a study in July 2011 reporting “risk of serious adverse cardiovascular events associated with varenicline.” UCSF researchers, however, question the way the previous study was conducted, and their new analysis, scheduled to be published May 4 in BMJ, reaches a very different conclusion.
UCSF Professor Elected To National Academy of Sciences
UCSF neurologist Louis Ptacek, MD, has been elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), for his research on the biology and genetics of several human diseases and disorders -- from epilepsy and migraine to sleep disorders and jet lag.
Scientists Identify Brain Circuitry Associated with Addictive, Depressive Behaviors
Scientists at the UCSF-affiliated Gladstone Institutes have determined how specific circuitry in the brain controls not only body movement, but also motivation and learning, providing new insight into neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease — and psychiatric disorders such as addiction and depression.