Anxiety disorders, including obsessive compulsive spectrum disorder (OCSD), affect nearly a fifth of Americans, but the brain mechanisms that underlie anxiety remain unclear. Now, scientists at the University of Utah Health have identified specific populations of brain cells that appear to be involved in anxiety-like behaviors, paving the way for better understanding and management of […]
Read MoreUniversity of Utah Health scientists have corrected abnormal heart rhythms in mice by restoring healthy levels of a protein that heart cells need to establish connections with one another. The finding suggests a new strategy for treating the abnormal heart rhythms caused by arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, one of the leading causes of sudden cardiac arrest in […]
Read MoreLittle is known about how social behavior develops in the earliest stages of life. But most animals––including humans––are born with an innate ability to interact socially or form bonds with others. And that contributes to success throughout life. Now, a new animal study conducted by University of Utah researchers and colleagues nationwide, points to a […]
Read MoreMany people don’t realize it, but our immune system has a vital role in healing ankle sprains and other muscle injuries. In fact, injured muscles send out signals to the immune system that attract white blood cells to the damaged tissue. Some of these white blood cells, called macrophages, cause swelling but also remove debris […]
Read MoreIt doesn’t quite have the same abilities as Transformers (the popular sci-fi superheroes) to morph into cars, trucks, boats, and airplanes, but a harmful fungus undergoes a remarkable transformation once it enters the body. Studies in mice show that as the fungal intruder travels to different organs, including the brain, it changes in size and […]
Read MoreMillions of people worldwide live with multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease in which the immune system attacks cells in the central nervous system (CNS). MS causes unpredictable symptoms that can include tremors, weakness, vision problems, and fatigue. Treatments for MS aim to protect neurons by reining in the immune system. This slows progression of the […]
Read MoreEach year, almost 500,000 open heart surgeries are performed in the United States. During these operations, surgeons rely on heart-lung machines to keep patients alive while they transplant healthy arteries and veins onto an ailing heart. However, these machines aren’t perfect. Often oxygen doesn’t flow or reach organs as well as it would naturally. As […]
Read MoreLou Gehrig, the legendary “Iron Horse” of baseball known for his durability on the diamond, is among the most famous people to develop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a rare progressive neurodegenerative disease. In fact, 80 year after his death, ALS is often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Then, as now, there is no cure. […]
Read MoreAn experimental treatment can essentially reverse type 1 diabetes in certain types of laboratory mice. An injection of the therapeutic agent converts cells that normally control glucose production into ones that generate insulin. What this implies for millions of people who have type 1 diabetes is that there is a chance that individuals could eventually […]
Read MoreUniversity of Utah scientists have developed an injectable drug that blocks HIV, the virus that causes the life-long disease acquired immunodefiniciency syndrome (AIDS). The new drug potentially offers long-lasting protection from the infection with fewer side effects. The drug, which was tested in non-human primates, could eventually replace or supplement combination drug “cocktail” therapies currently used […]
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