brain

October 16, 2023

VUMC scientists record powerful signal in the brain’s white matter

Vanderbilt researchers report that when people who are having their brains scanned by fMRI perform a task, like wiggling their fingers, certain signals increase in white matter throughout the brain, which has long been thought to play a lesser role the more the brain’s more energetic gray matter.

By Bill Snyder
September 14, 2023

Study suggests way to relieve cognitive deficits caused by Parkinson’s disease

Vanderbilt research raises the possibility of using DBS to slow the decline of cognitive function, a major source of disability, diminished quality of life, and death in more than three-quarters of patients with Parkinson’s disease.

By Bill Snyder
June 12, 2023

Images predict functional decline

MRI brain scans at baseline for study participants 60 and older — who were free of clinical dementia at study entry — predicted a decline in independent function five years later.

By Paul Govern
November 17, 2022

Study examines impulsiveness in Parkinson’s disease

Vanderbilt researchers are studying aspects of dopamine release and its regulation in Parkinson’s patients with and without impulsive-compulsive behaviors.

By Paul Govern
November 3, 2022

Social behavior brain circuitry

Vanderbilt researchers have identified a novel mechanism regulating social behavior: Neuropeptide Y signaling in the nucleus accumbens brain region.

By Leigh MacMillan
January 27, 2022

White matter and psychosis

The microstructure of white matter in the brain could be an important risk marker for psychosis, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered.

By Emily Stembridge
September 2, 2021

White matter and schizophrenia

Patients with schizophrenia have functional changes in the white matter of the brain, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered, which may contribute to impaired working memory and processing speed.
By Emily Stembridge
August 23, 2021

Estrogen, depression and menopause

A shift in emotional processing may help women adapt to lower estrogen after menopause —unless they have a history of major depressive disorder, Vanderbilt researchers have found.
By Emily Stembridge
June 23, 2021

Common mechanism found for diverse brain disorders: study

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have identified a common mechanism underlying a spectrum of epilepsy syndromes and neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism, that are caused by variations in a gene encoding a vital transporter protein in the brain.
By Bill Snyder
October 29, 2020

Histamine circuits in brain reward center

Histamine — commonly associated with allergies — also has a signaling role in the brain’s reward center and may offer a novel target for treating addiction.
By Leigh MacMillan
October 19, 2020

Depression and the brain-age gap

Older depressed adults show accelerated brain aging, according to a new study from Vanderbilt researchers, who suggest that the effects of depression may speed the decline in cognitive functions in older individuals.
By Sarah E. Glass
October 15, 2020

Brain blood vessel response to hypoxia

The brain’s response to low oxygen — growth and remodeling of blood vessels — involves certain cell types and molecular pathways, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered.
By Leigh MacMillan
June 23, 2020

A connection to schizophrenia

The insula, a small region of the brain involved in diverse brain functions had widespread dysconnectivity in schizophrenia, Vanderbilt researchers found.
By Bill Snyder