Columbia University scientists have developed a new optical technique to study how information is transmitted in the brains of mice. Using this method, they found that only a small portion of synapses—the connections between cells that control brain activity—may be active at any given time.
Columbia University Medical Center and Mailman School of Public Health experts offer insight into the arrival of the Zika virus in South America and the Caribbean.
Researchers from Columbia University Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian have found that using corticosteroids in mothers at risk for late preterm delivery reduced the incidence of severe respiratory complications in their babies.
A comprehensive analysis of the molecular characteristics of gliomas—the most common malignant brain tumor—explains why some patients diagnosed with slow-growing (low-grade) tumors quickly succumb to the disease while others with more aggressive (high-grade) tumors survive for many years.
Scientists have used a new gene-editing technology called CRISPR, to repair a genetic mutation responsible for retinitis pigmentosa (RP), an inherited condition that causes the retina to degrade and leads to blindness in at least 1.5 million cases worldwide.
Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and New York State Psychiatric Institute have found that while cigarette smoking rates have declined among younger people in the United States, those who do smoke are more likely to have a psychiatric or substance use disorder compared with those who began smoking in earlier decades.
Researchers from Columbia, Stanford, UC-Davis, and other institutions identified a biomarker that predicts which stage II colon cancer patients may benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy to prevent a disease recurrence.
Wayne Frankel, PhD, has joined Columbia University as professor of genetics & development in the College of Physicians and Surgeons and as director of preclinical models in the Institute for Genomic Medicine (IGM), a cornerstone of Columbia’s Precision Medicine Initiative.
Columbia University librarians have digitized an important anatomical flap book – an early attempt to represent the three dimensionality of the human body in the two dimensional format of the book.
A new study has revealed that cholsterol-lowering statins may help reverse the mechanisms that increase the risk of heart disease in people with sleep apnea.
A drug that boosts activity in the brain’s “garbage disposal” system can decrease levels of toxic proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders and improve cognition in mice, a new study by neuroscientists at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) has found.
A network of interacting brain regions known as the default mode network (DMN) was found to have stronger connections in adults and children with a high risk of depression compared to those with a low risk. These findings suggest that increased DMN connectivity is a potential precursor, or biomarker, indicating a risk of developing major depressive disorder (MDD).
Researchers have discovered how immune cells triggered by recurrent Strep A infections enter the brain, causing inflammation that may lead to autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders in children. The study, performed in mice, found that immune cells reach the brain by traveling along odor-sensing neurons that emerge from the nasal cavity, not by breaching the blood-brain barrier directly. The findings could lead to improved methods for diagnosing, monitoring, and treating these disorders.
Researchers have found a number of genetic mutations that explain why many children with congenital heart disease also have other significant health challenges, including neurodevelopmental disorders and other congenital problems. The study was published in the December 3rd online edition of Science.
What doesn't kill you could cure you. A growing interest in the therapeutic value of animal venom has led a pair of Columbia University data scientists to create the first catalog of known animal toxins and their physiological effects on humans.
Most people probably think that we perceive the five basic tastes—sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami (savory)—with our tongue, which then sends signals to our brain “telling” us what we’ve tasted. However, scientists have turned this idea on its head, demonstrating in mice the ability to change the way something tastes by manipulating groups of cells in the brain.
Robert Stanley Sherwin, MD, a professor of endocrinology at the Yale School of Medicine, was presented with the 17th Naomi Berrie Award for his work on understanding how the brain responds to hypoglycemia.
On the eve of its 10th anniversary, the Jonas Center for Nursing and Veterans Healthcare today announced that, beginning in 2017, it will be housed at Columbia University. It will reside in Columbia’s School of Nursing via an $11.1 million, 10-year grant to the University that underscores the Jonas Center’s enduring commitment to the future of the nursing profession and marks the largest single grant in Columbia Nursing’s 123-year history.
Short people have several health advantages over tall people, including lower risk for cancer and heart disease, and longer life expectancy. But there’s at least one health-related downside to being small: the odds of getting a lung transplant are considerably lower.
In real-world settings, patients with schizophrenia whose symptoms do not respond to standard antipsychotic medications have better outcomes if they are switched to clozapine instead of another standard antipsychotic.
Inhibiting a family of enzymes inside hair follicles that are suspended in a resting state restores hair growth, a new study from researchers at Columbia University Medical Center has found.
A 20-month-old girl suffering from a rare neurodegenerative disease was diagnosed by exome sequencing and successfully treated. The case, which exemplifies the potential of precision medicine, involved scientists at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and Duke University.
A new and comprehensive study has found that celiac patients are at no increased risk for dementia before or after their diagnosis of celiac disease.
The Laboratory of Personalized Genomic Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) has been granted full approval by the New York State Department of Health for the Columbia Combined Cancer Panel, (CCCP).
Columbia University will award the 2015 Horwitz Prize to S. Lawrence Zipursky, PHD, for discovering a molecular identification system that helps neurons to wire the brain.
The Columbia University College of Dental Medicine (CDM) received the 2015 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.
Researchers have discovered why long-term use of L-DOPA (levodopa), the most effective treatment for Parkinson’s disease, commonly leads to a movement problem called dyskinesia, a side effect that can be as debilitating as Parkinson’s disease itself.
Vision researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have discovered a gene that causes myopia, but only in people who spend a lot of time in childhood reading or doing other “nearwork.”
An automated speech analysis program correctly differentiated between at-risk young people who developed psychosis over a two-and-a-half year period and those who did not. In a proof-of-principle study, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center, New York State Psychiatric Institute, and the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center found that the computerized analysis provided a more accurate classification than clinical ratings.
Klinefelter syndrome is the most common disorder of the male sex chromosomes, yet is rarely diagnosed in children. A new assessment tool is being developed by researchers at Columbia to help pediatricians detect the physical traits of the syndrome.
A diet high in refined carbohydrates may lead to an increased risk for new-onset depression in postmenopausal women, according to a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) have developed a computer algorithm that is helping scientists see how drugs produce pharmacological effects inside the body. The study, published in the journal Cell, could help researchers create drugs that are more efficient and less prone to side effects, suggest ways to regulate a drug's activity, and identify novel therapeutic uses for new and existing compounds.
Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) have found that key parts of the human brain network that give us the power to control and redirect our attention—a core cognitive ability—may be unique to humans.
A plan to ensure that evidence-based psychosocial interventions are routinely used in clinical practice and made a part of clinical training for mental health professionals was released today by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM).
Research from Eric Kandel’s lab has uncovered further evidence of a system in the brain that persistently maintains memories for long periods of time.
Despite concerns that use of antipsychotic medications in treating young people has increased, use actually declined between 2006 and 2010 for children ages 12 and under, and increased for adolescents and young adults.
Kevin Roth, MD, PhD, has been named chair of the P&S Department of Pathology & Cell Biology and pathologist-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, effective September 1, 2015.
Infants and children who are given prescription acid-reducing medications face a substantially higher risk of developing Clostridium difficile infection, a potentially severe colonic disorder.
Columbia University scientists have developed a computational method to investigate the relationship between birth month and disease risk. The researchers used this algorithm to examine New York City medical databases and found 55 diseases that correlated with the season of birth. Overall, the study indicated people born in May had the lowest disease risk, and those born in October the highest.
A rare eye disorder marked by color blindness, light sensitivity, and other vision problems can result from a newly discovered gene mutation identified by an international research team, including scientists from Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC). The findings, which were published today in the online edition of Nature Genetics, could lead to new, targeted treatments for this form of color blindness.
In 1979, Alan Alda, who played Captain “Hawkeye” Pierce on the TV show, “M*A*S*H,” gave the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons commencement speech. Listen to his important advice for new doctors—and all graduates.
National thought leaders convened at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health yesterday for a symposium identifying gaps in understanding the prevention of sexual violence on college campuses, calling for a broad interdisciplinary agenda for the next generation of research on a significant problem that became front-page news around the country this year.
More than half of popular probiotics contain traces of gluten, according to an analysis performed by investigators at the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC). Tests on 22 top-selling probiotics revealed that 12 of them (or 55%) had detectable gluten.
Bats must rapidly integrate different types of sensory information to catch insects and avoid obstacles while flying. A study shows, for the first time, that a unique array of sensory receptors in the wing provides feedback to a bat during flight. The findings also suggest that neurons in the bat brain respond to incoming airflow and touch signals, triggering rapid adjustments in wing position to optimize flight control.
A significant proportion of children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have unsuspected chromosomal imbalances, including DNA anomalies that have been linked to neurocognitive disorders, according to a new Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) study.
The first-ever systematic study of the genomes of patients with ALK-negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), a particularly aggressive form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, shows that many cases of the disease are driven by alterations in the JAK/STAT3 cell signaling pathway.
Researchers have found a cellular defect that can impair the body’s ability to handle high glucose levels, pointing the way to new treatments for diabetes.
The event will include leading cancer researchers and clinicians in the field (both in and outside of Columbia University) who will discuss the future of cancer research and treatment. An update in the development of innovative cancer diagnostics will be among the topics covered.
Researchers have pinpointed the immune system mechanism that allows a kidney transplant to be accepted without lifelong immunosuppressive drugs, a significant step toward reducing or eliminating the need for costly and potentially toxic immunosuppressant drugs and improving long-term transplant success.
Researchers have for the first time successfully converted adult human skin cells into neurons of the type that regulate appetite, providing a patient-specific model for studying the neurophysiology of weight control and testing new therapies for obesity.
RSS
Medicine keyboard_arrow_right
Sciencekeyboard_arrow_right
Life keyboard_arrow_right
Business keyboard_arrow_right
Journal News keyboard_arrow_right
By Location keyboard_arrow_right
Meetings, Grants, and Events keyboard_arrow_right