Advancing knowledge of human development, developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Seth Pollak, PhD, Waisman Center investigator and professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, was recently featured in a story about how childhood poverty can influence brain development and hinder success in school and beyond. You can read the full story in either the Capital Times or at WisconsinWatch.org.
A new mouse model, developed by researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, is the first to show that when more of a specific biological molecule moves between different parts of nerve cells in the mouse brain, it can lead to behaviors that resembles some aspects of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in humans.
May 18, 2016 Adityarup “Rup” Chakravorty, Waisman Communications Jelte Rijkaart is 10 years old, with a ready smile, dark brown hair and warm brown eyes. He enjoys hanging out with people, especially his brother Roan. He is passionate about clocks—he has a wall dedicated to cuckoo clocks—and enjoys all sorts of movies about clocks on …
It has been said that communication is the essence of human life. In fact, our ability to communicate an unlimited number of thoughts and ideas separates humans from all other creatures.
Much like electricity traveling down wires, nerve impulses in our brain travel along nerve fibers. And just as wires need insulation to function well, nerve fibers, too, rely on a kind of insulation called myelin, a fatty substance that protects them and increases the speed at which nerve impulses travel.
Brain injuries caused by a lack of oxygen and blood flow affect many thousands of children every year, yet “we still don’t have effective treatments for them,” says Waisman researcher Peter Ferrazzano, MD.
March 03, 2016 Adityarup “Rup” Chakravorty You are hungry. You get a can from the pantry or some leftovers from the fridge, warm up the food in the microwave and sit down to eat a quick and easy meal. While that sounds straightforward to many of us, for individuals who are visually impaired or blind, …
February 04, 2016 Adityarup “Rup” Chakravorty, Waisman Communications Each year, thousands of newborn babies suffer complications during pregnancy or birth that deprive their brains of oxygen and nutrient-rich blood and result in brain injury. This deprivation results in hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), which can lead to long-term neurological issues such as learning disabilities, cerebral palsy …
January 19, 2016 Channel 3000 University of Wisconsin researchers say they’ve found a treatment to clean up the plaques that form in the brain of mice with Alzheimer’s disease. The research published in the journal Brain shows that compounds that inhibit two cellular proteins can help clean up the plaques found in the brain of …
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 brain and spinal cord - is found in many neurodegenerative conditions, but it's been unclear exactly what role astrocyte dysfunction plays in the development of disease.
