Most Popular Science Stories of 2016
Stories about sensory processing disorder, videos about “zombie” cancer cells, and news about the effects of caffeine and alcohol on the heart were among the topics that most engaged our readers in 2016.
University of California San Francisco
Give to UCSFStories about sensory processing disorder, videos about “zombie” cancer cells, and news about the effects of caffeine and alcohol on the heart were among the topics that most engaged our readers in 2016.
A shared biological mechanism may drive the progression of both Alzheimer’s disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a neurodegenerative condition associated with repeated concussions and brain trauma.
UCSF researchers identified fetal brain tissue cells that are targeted by the Zika virus and determined that azithromycin can prevent the virus from infecting these cells.
UCSF has ranked as one of the top 20 universities in the world, according to the 2017 Best Global Universities rankings released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.
Research led by UCSF scientists has revealed that mutations in a gene linked with brain development may dispose people to multiple forms of psychiatric disease by changing the way brain cells communicate.
Researchers at UCSF have discovered a previously unknown mass migration of inhibitory neurons into the brain’s frontal cortex during the first few months after birth.
Using a mouse model of multiple sclerosis, UCSF scientists demonstrated that regenerating myelin can both protect neurons from damage and restore lost function.
Chronic pain and loss of bladder control are among the most devastating consequences of spinal cord injury.
A new UC San Francisco study challenges the most influential textbook explanation of how the mammalian brain detects when the body is becoming too warm, and how it then orchestrates the myriad responses that animals, including humans, use to lower their temperature.
The stigma associated with mental illnesses is causing millions of Americans go untreated because of misconceptions and shame. UCSF researchers are among those who are pushing for changes that would help to eliminate the stigma and get people the treatments they need.
A new UCSF study shows that specialized brain cells in mice “predict” the hydrating effects of drinking, deactivating long before the liquids imbibed can actually change the composition of the bloodstream.
Researchers have identified a pair of tarantula toxins that target a previously unknown pain pathway in sensory nerves.
For his pioneering research on plasticity, the brain’s remarkable capacity to modify its structure and function, UCSF's Michael M. Merzenich, PhD, has been awarded the 2016 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience.
Proper communication between the left and right sides of the brain is critical for the development of advanced language skills, according to new research by UC San Francisco scientists.
Frontotemporal dementia, the second most common cause of dementia in people under 65, may be triggered by a defect in immune cells called microglia that causes them to consume the brain’s synaptic connections, according to new research led by UCSF scientists.
UCSF scientists have discovered a network of brain cells that allows animals to keep track of where they are when they are not moving through space, such as when they are eating, engaged in social interactions, or sleeping.
UCSF has received an unrestricted $25 million commitment from the Bill and Susan Oberndorf Foundation to advance basic research in psychiatry and the behavioral sciences.
You don't have to be an NFL star to throw better than any of our closest primate relatives. Human evolution has given us both the brain and brawn we need to make precise throws, but it comes with a few trade-offs.
Researchers at UCSF have found that boys and girls with sensory processing disorder (SPD) have altered pathways for brain connectivity when compared to typically developing children, and the difference predicts challenges with auditory and tactile processing.
The workings of neural circuits associated with creativity are significantly altered when artists are actively attempting to convey emotions, according to a new brain-scanning study of jazz pianists.
We asked experts across UCSF to identify what's ahead in how we approach research, what disease areas will see major advances, and where basic science will be translating into real treatments.
If depression is caused by flawed brain circuitry, it may be possible to shift that circuitry toward healthy neural processing instead. UCSF researchers hope to map and correct aberrant neural behavior to cure mood disorders.
The trajectory of Bruce Miller’s work is emblematic of the integration seen within the entire neurosciences field over the last decade, as its broad range of disciplines attract unprecedented levels of investment.
The Atlantic Philanthropies is awarding UCSF and Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, $177 million to create the Global Brain Health Institute, a groundbreaking venture to stem the precipitous rise in dementia by training and connecting a new generation of leaders worldwide.
A gift of $20 million from the Ray and Dagmar Dolby Family Fund to the Department of Psychiatry at UCSF will support research on mood disorders.
A newly established neuroscience research institute based at UCSF will focus on gaining a deeper understanding of plasticity, the brain’s remarkable capacity to modify its own structure and function.
An international research team led by UC San Francisco scientists has identified 65 genes that play a role in autism, 28 of which are reported with “very high confidence.”
Researchers at UCSF have succeeded in mapping the genetic signature of a unique group of stem cells in the human brain that seem to generate most of the neurons in our massive cerebral cortex.
Circuits in the brain that grow noisier over time may be responsible for ways in which we slow mentally as we grow old, according to new studies from UCSF.
Multiple System Atrophy, a neurodegenerative disorder with similarities to Parkinson’s disease, is caused by a newly discovered type of prion, according to two new research papers led by scientists at UCSF.