Boston researchers will build a generation of brain implants under an ambitious Defense Department program aimed at pioneering more precise ways to treat mental illnesses suffered by combat veterans, including post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and depression. Emad Eskandar, the Charles Anthony Pappas Professor of Neurosciences, and Darin Dougherty, associate professor of psychiatry, both of Massachusetts General Hospital, will lead the project. Steven Hyman, professor of stem cell and regenerative biology at FAS, is also quoted.
Regular exercise, including walking, significantly reduces the chance that a frail older person will become physically disabled, according to one of the largest and longest-running studies of its kind to date. Lewis Lipsitz, professor of medicine at Hebrew SeniorLife, is quoted.
Further coverage of the youngest infant in the United States to receive an Auditory Brain Stem Implant. Daniel Lee, associate professor of otology, and a team from Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary performed the auditory brain stem implant. The child’s care is in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital.
Edward J. Benz, president and CEO of the Dana-Farber Institute and the Richard and Susan Smith Professor of Medicine, authored this piece about reducing the incidence of smoking.
New studies to be released at a cancer research conference beginning this weekend in Chicago are expected to offer more good news regarding treatment of melanoma. F. Stephen Hodi, associate professor of medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, is quoted.
Guidelines issued last month by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine say to give moms a chance to deliver vaginally before ordering a C-section. Neel Shah, instructor in obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, is quoted.
Scientists have found a way to beat back the hands of time and fight the ravages of old age, at least in mice. A new study finds that mice bred without a specific pain sensor, or receptor, live longer and are less likely to develop diseases such as diabetes in old age. David Sinclair, professor of genetics, is quoted.
With other dangerous diseases, like smallpox, polio, and measles, vaccines provide protection and stop transmission. So why can’t we just vaccinate people against MERS and wipe the disease out before it spreads further? Research by Wayne Marasco, professor of medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, is cited.
Ever wonder why you need to keep getting Botox? Or what happens to the tattoo you’re trying to remove? Sam Lin, associate professor of surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, is quoted.
A new study from the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System and Brigham and Women’s Hospital suggests doctors could learn to implement best practices more quickly if they were taught the material as a game played for a few minutes every day rather than by spending an hour or two learning the material in one sitting. Alexander Turchin, associate professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is a coauthor of the study. B. Price Kerfoot, associate professor of surgery at Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, led the study.
