Category: Disease Discoveries
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Uncovering a Genetic Driver of Rare Early-Onset Dementia
A global team of scientists has uncovered a new genetic risk factor for a rare and aggressive form of early-onset dementia, according to a study published in Nature Genetics.
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Imagination is More Than Sensory Replay
A new Northwestern University study suggests that higher‑level brain systems that interpret and organize perception may play a central role in imagination in addition to sensory systems.
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Understanding Mechanisms of Rare Inflammatory Autoantibodies
Northwestern Medicine investigators have uncovered a missing link behind the harmful effects of autoantibodies linked to blood clots, pregnancy complications and other inflammatory conditions, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Fructose Uptake in Immune Cells Promotes Glioblastoma Growth
Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered that specialized immune cells within the glioblastoma tumor microenvironment metabolize fructose to suppress immune responses and promote tumor growth, according to a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Schizophrenia Study Finds New Biomarker, Drug Candidate to Treat Cognitive Symptoms
A new Northwestern study in humans and mice has discovered a novel biomarker of schizophrenia that could also serve as a new drug candidate to treat the cognitive symptoms of the disorder.
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Premature Menopause Raises Long-Term Heart Risk by 40 Percent
Women who enter natural menopause before age 40 face about a 40 percent higher lifetime risk of developing coronary heart disease than women who experience menopause later, according to a large Northwestern Medicine study.
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Advancing Epilepsy Research Through Genetic Insights
Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders affecting nearly one percent of people worldwide. The Department of Pharmacology at Feinberg is leading research to understand the genetic causes of childhood-onset epilepsy, and to investigate what is happening perinatally to brain development in these cases.
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First Gene Regulation Clinical Trials for Epilepsy Show Promising Results
A first‑ever gene‑regulation therapy tested in early‑phase clinical trials co‑led by Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago has proven safe in children with Dravet syndrome who have exhausted conventional treatment options, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Circadian Rhythm Causes Metabolic Dysfunction in Fat Cells
Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered how disruptions in circadian rhythm impair metabolic function in fat cells, providing new insights into the molecular mechanisms that cause obesity and metabolic disease, according to a recent study published in Nature Metabolism.
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As Superagers Age, They Make at Least Twice as Many New Neurons as Their Peers
New research shows that the brains of “SuperAgers” continue to generate new neurons in the hippocampus at levels far higher than typical older adults, and even much younger individuals.
