In 1998, UW–Madison developmental biologist James Thomson introduced the world to the first laboratory-derived human embryonic stem cells. Twenty years later, UW–Madison remains at the forefront of stem cell research. The Waisman Center at UW-Madison …
Year: 2018
Blockages in nerve-cell protein ‘factory’ implicated in neurodegenerative disease
Research by Waisman affiliate Jon Audhya shows new insight into the molecular basis underlying the neurodegenerative condition, hereditary spastic paraplegia (HPS). His recent study shows how a mutation in the TFG gene–one of several linked …
Mental health in pregnancy may affect development of newborns’ brains
By Marianne Spoon, UW Communications Many factors can influence the development of a baby during pregnancy and after birth, but until recently, researchers knew little about the relationship between an expectant mother’s mental health and …
Ben Parrell, PhD – Slide of the Week
When we speak, we are able to use what we hear about that speech (auditory feedback) to alter our speech movements both in real time within a single word (feedback control) as well as over longer time scales across multiple utterances (feedforward control).
Researchers unveil new strategy to correct for motion during MRI scans
Individuals undergoing a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan often need to minimize movements for up to 10 minutes at a time to maximize scan quality. That can be challenging for many people.
Expecting to learn: Language acquisition in toddlers improved by predictable situations
In an upcoming study in Current Biology, published online Aug. 16, researchers at the Arizona State University Department of Psychology and the Waisman Center report a factor that is important for language learning in children: the predictability of the learning environment.
Caroline A Niziolek, PhD – Slide of the Week
Disorders of speech production may be accompanied by abnormal processing of speech sensory feedback. Here, we introduce a semi-automated analysis designed to assess the degree to which speakers use natural online feedback to decrease acoustic variability in spoken words.
Xinyu Zhao, PhD – Slide of the Week
Adult neural stem cells in mouse models of fragile X syndrome (FXS) have elevated histone acetylation, leading to reduced neurogenesis. Treatment with either Nutlin-3 or Curcumin rebalances histone acetylation and rescues cognitive functions
Houri K. Vorperian, PhD – Slide of the Week
A single-word identification test was used to study speech production in children and adults with Down syndrome (DS) to determine the developmental pattern of speech intelligibility with an emphasis on vowels.
Xinyu Zhao receives 2018 National Fragile X Foundation (NFXF) Research Award
Xinyu Zhao, PhD, received the 2018 National Fragile X Foundation (NFXF) Research Award for outstanding contributions to the understanding of fragile X syndrome. Zhao is a professor of neuroscience and Waisman Center investigator at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.