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 of the Wisconsin …
2015
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 Waisman Center.
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 system president and his leadership team had the chance to tour the building and meet many of the people who help the center carry on its work.
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 the brain. Serotonin …
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 at the Waisman …
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 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.
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.
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 in people with Down syndrome.
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 them in their hometown of Hayward, Wisconsin with the help of their mother, Pam Miller.
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 Baltimore.