2015 News
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Blue Sky Science: How do we hear?
How do we hear? And how can cochlear implants help those with impaired hearing? Waisman researcher Ruth Litovsky, PhD, answers these questions in the latest episode of Blue Sky Science, a collaboration…
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Holiday Generosity from St. Peter’s School, Reedsburg
Led by their student council members and teachers, the students carried out a ‘Dimes for Down’ syndrome fundraiser and raised more than $700 in support of the Down Syndrome Clinic at the…
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UW System Regents, officials tour Waisman Center
UW–Madison’s Waisman Center is known for its groundbreaking work helping people with developmental disabilities and neurodegenerative disorders. On Thursday, Dec. 10, several members of the UW System Board of Regents and the…
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First serotonin neurons made from human stem cells
Su-Chun Zhang, a pioneer in developing neurons from stem cells at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, has created a specialized nerve cell that makes serotonin, a signaling chemical with a broad role in…
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Positivity and inclusion go a long way to help individuals with autism spectrum disorders
A positive emotional climate at home and inclusive educational experiences while at school can have long-lasting beneficial effects for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to a recent study by researchers…
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Tracing a path towards neuronal cell death in Alexander disease
A fruit fly model of a rare, neurodegenerative disease is helping researchers trace the series of steps that lead to neuronal cell death. Damage to astrocytes – star-shaped cells found in the…
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Thoughts of Gratitude: David Busta
As basketball season gathers steam (go Badgers!), one small town in northern Wisconsin will be buzzing with excitement about a different basketball tournament on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
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Waisman Center partners on new multi-site NIH initiative to find Alzheimer’s biomarkers in Down syndrome
Brad Christian, PhD, Waisman investigator and associate professor of medical physics and psychiatry, is part of a new National Institutes of Health initiative to identify biomarkers and track the progression of Alzheimer’s…
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Holiday cards for autism
Giizhik Klawiter has autism and began drawing at six years old as a therapeutic outlet. For the last six years, Giizhik and his brother Mino have designed holiday greeting cards and sold…
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Searching for associations: New Waisman investigator studies child behavior disorders and the genetics and environment behind them
James Li’s drive to research, understand and develop effective interventions for childhood behavioral disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), was sparked in the hallways of a juvenile justice center in…
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Divorce rate doesn’t go up as families of children with disabilities grow
Couples raising a child with developmental disabilities do not face a higher risk of divorce if they have larger families, according to a new study by researchers from the Waisman Center at…
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Help support autism, epilepsy research at weekend fundraiser
Anyone paying attention to these editorials knows we are passionate supporters of the Waisman Center, especially of the life-changing research into neurodegenerative diseases and causes of developmental disabilities done there.
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Genetic counseling students learn to serve patients in ever-changing field
Many expected the Human Genome Project to cause a revolution far beyond the field of genetics — into economics and culture — and thought the 13-year, $3 billion international research endeavor would…
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Motherhood and mental health: Exploring the links between anxiety, depression and fragile X premutations
Women who have a child with fragile X syndrome (FXS) and are themselves carriers of a “premutation” in the gene linked to FXS are at an increased risk of developing depression and…
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UW eye researchers publish second study of stem cells and blinding eye disease
A team of eye researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have used a custom stem cell model of a rare but blinding eye disease to test whether a commonly used drug might…
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Zhang’s startup looks to give hope to patients with neurological disorders
In his 19-year career at UW–Madison, Dr. Su-Chun Zhang has transformed the field of stem cell research. The renowned neuroscientist was the first in the world to isolate neural stem cells from…
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Stem cell expert: Bart Starr treatment shows need for rigorous trials in U.S.
The news that legendary Green Bay Packer quarterback Bart Starr has undergone stem cell therapy to recover from a stroke has raised the profile for a promising but unproven regenerative treatment intended…
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Su-Chun Zhang named Steenbock Professor
A biologist who uses mathematical models to illuminate the changes within ecosystems and a neuroscientist who’s exploring how stem cells can treat diseases of the brain and spinal cord are the newest…
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Dads’ parenting of children with autism improves moms’ mental health
Fathers who read to their infants with autism and take active roles in caregiving activities not only promote healthy development in their children, they boost moms’ mental health too, new research suggests.
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Frayed nerve bundle may spur autism’s motor, social deficits
A new study by Waisman Center investigators Andy Alexander, PhD, professor of medical physics and psychiatry, Janet Lainhart, MD, professor of psychiatry and Brittany Travers, PhD, assistant professor of kinesiology, indicates a…
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Evjue Foundation awards grants to Waisman Center Clinics and Discovery Garden
Two Waisman Center programs will benefit from The Evjue Foundation grants. The Waisman Center Clinics are the recipient of $11,500 to enhance exam rooms to minimize light and sound issues to better…
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Expert: Editing stem cell genes will “revolutionize” biomedical research
Applying a dramatically improved method for “editing” genes to human stem cells, University of Wisconsin–Madison neuroscientist and Waisman Center investigator Su-Chun Zhang has shown a new way to silence genes in stem…
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Ninth annual Fashion Show for All Abilities recap
Between wardrobe fittings, hours of coaching, makeup artists, and the moment that first shoe hits the runway, Chantel Brown watched her dream become a reality. Friday, May 29, 2015 marked the ninth…
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Kindness in the classroom
What if teaching young children compassion and kindness made them better students as well as better people? Researchers with the UW’s Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the Waisman Center recently tested…
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Ruth Munz receives Excellence in Early Education Award
Ruth Munz, a university associate in the Waisman Early Childhood Program, received the Excellence in Early Education Award last month after nomination from her co-workers. She was honored at Jazzin, the annual…