Mouse-model study led by University of South Florida suggests potential new treatment target Tampa, FL (Sept. 15, 2011) — Decreasing expression of a protein associated with susceptibility to depression made old mice resistant to depressive-like behavior while improving their hormonal response to stress, a study led by researchers at the University of South Florida found. The lack of this protein, FKBP51, did not adversely affect their memory, learning, or basic motor functions. The study suggests that drug discovery efforts aimed at reducing levels of the protein FKBP51 may yield new […]

Michael Sloan, MD, professor of neurology at USF Health who directed the Comprehensive Stroke Center at Tampa General Hospital, died Sept. 9, 2011. He was 57. Dr. Sloan was a major authority in stroke who made substantial contributions to the advances in the field over the past 20 years. The stroke program he led as a USF Health faculty member at TGH since 2007 consistently earned the Gold Seal of Approval™ for health care quality – a disease-specific certification bestowed by the Joint Commission, the nation’s largest health care accreditation […]

Preliminary trial findings shared with FARA-USF research symposium participants For the first time, an investigative drug has significantly improved the neurological function of patients with Friedreich’s ataxia. The promising findings of a preliminary clinical trial testing the drug candidate known as EPI-A0001 was greeted with applause and cheers August 25 at the third annual scientific symposium hosted by the Friedrich’s Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA) and the University of South Florida Ataxia Research Center directed by Theresa Zesiewicz, MD, USF Health professor of neurology. Among the symposium attendees were Christopher Nercersian […]

Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute gets USF Health’s first PET/CT scan It was delivered on schedule Aug. 1 — all 13,000 pounds of the $1.3-million-dollar baby. By crane, not by stork. With precision logistics, USF Health’s first PET/CT scan system was safely hoisted for installation onto the second floor of the Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute. The high-tech neuroimaging equipment will be a key piece of the Institute’s new Complete Alzheimer’s C.A.R.E. (Clinical Assessment Research & Education) Center, scheduled to open later this year.   Delivery of the 13,000 pound PET/CT scan, including the instrumentation […]

Researchers will examine in a rat model of stroke whether adult stem cells may repair leaky blood-brain barrier Tampa, FL (Aug. 11, 2011) – University of South Florida Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair faculty members have received a $2.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate whether cells derived from human bone marrow may improve post-stroke therapy by repairing the blood-brain barrier.  This barrier prevents harmful substances in circulating blood from entering the brain while allowing passage of needed substances. Current treatment for ischemic stroke is limited to one FDA-approved drug, […]

Although open for only nine months, USF ALS Center is rapidly becoming a major force in the battle to cure Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease). ALS is a deadly disease that progressively paralyzes its victims, attacking nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord. Patients are robbed of the ability to walk, eat, speak, and eventually, breathe, and most live for just two to five years after diagnosis.  Dr. Tuan Vu, director of the USF ALS Center. The USF ALS Center opened in […]

Dr. James Mortimer recognized as one of 17 world leaders in neuroscience by Panama’s President James Mortimer, PhD, FAAN, professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of South Florida College of Public Health, was recently honored as one of 17 world leaders in neuroscience by the Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli.  The award ceremony was held at the International Conference on New Discoveries in Brain organized by the National Secretariat for Science and Technical Innovation of Panama (SENACT).  In addition to Dr. Mortimer, two nobel laureates and 15 other scientists from […]

Members of the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute staff and board break through a wall, marking the official beginning of the second-floor renovation to create the facility’s Complete Alzheimer’s CARE Center. More than two years after the Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute’s merger into USF Health, faculty are attracting significant new funding for Alzheimer’s disease research as they prepare to launch a one-of-a-kind Complete Alzheimer’s CARE (Clinical Assessment, Research & Education) Center for patients and their families early next year. At a meeting last week, members of the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s […]

A USF study indicates an unidentified coffee component combined with caffeine increases a growth factor that counters Alzheimer’s disease pathology and improves memory in mice Tampa, FL (June 21, 2011) – A yet unidentified component of coffee interacts with the beverage’s caffeine, which could be a surprising reason why daily coffee intake protects against Alzheimer’s disease. A new Alzheimer’s mouse study by researchers at the University of South Florida found that this interaction boosts blood levels of a critical growth factor that seems to fight off the Alzheimer’s disease process. […]

USF Health and the research of neuroscientist Edwin Weeber, PhD, got a national boost this week with the posting of an inspirational video on the popular web portal Yahoo! News. The clip above, created by USF Health Communications, offers a behind-the-scenes peek at the Yahoo.com crew’s production of the video Angleman Syndrome: Close to a Cure? Yahoo! teamed up with the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics (FAST), which helps support Dr. Weeber’s research, to promote research for the rare neuro-genetic disorder. The resulting video, including an interview with Dr. Weeber, […]