News and Announcements

Northwestern Medicine scientists have identified mutations in a gene coding for key ion channels in the brain as a new cause of a debilitating form of migraine, according to a study published in Brain.

Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered new insights into how high gamma activity, a widely studied brain signal, is generated, findings that can impact how past and future neurological studies using this signal are interpreted, according to a recent study published in Nature.

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.

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.

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.

Using lab-grown human spinal cord organoids — miniature organs derived from stem cells — Northwestern scientists have modeled different types of spinal cord injuries and tested a promising new regenerative therapy.

Northwestern Medicine scientists have zeroed in on a cellular gatekeeper that may hold promise for treating abnormal protein accumulation in neurodegenerative diseases, according to a study published in Nature Communications. 

Northwestern University scientists have developed an injectable regenerative nanomaterial that helps protect the brain during the vulnerable window after a patient suffers a stroke.

In a new study, scientists have identified a previously unknown driver of Alzheimer’s disease, and an experimental drug developed at Northwestern University has demonstrated further promise as an early intervention to treat the disease.

Northwestern scientists have developed a wireless device that uses light to send information directly to the brain — bypassing the body’s natural sensory pathways, as detailed in a new study published in Nature Neuroscience.

Northwestern Medicine scientists have uncovered how a specific type of cell in the inner ear plays a commanding role in shaping the cellular landscape of the organ responsible for hearing, according to a study published in Science Advances. 

A recent Northwestern Medicine study has identified novel neural circuits modulated by the diabetes and obesity-management drugs semaglutide and tirzepatide that help suppress appetite, according to findings published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.  

The Les Turner ALS Foundation has announced that it will make a $500,000 gift to support ALS research at Feinberg; the historic gift will support researchers in pursuit of a cure for the disease during a federal funding freeze on Northwestern research.

Over a quarter-century of research, Northwestern scientists have been studying individuals over eighty with memory capacity of people at least three decades younger, to identify the biological and behavioral traits associated with “SuperAging.”