Brain Research

Mass General Researchers Share Their Science On-screen

By Brian Burns | June 27, 2018

From the Wall Street Journal to local TedTalks, Massachusetts General Hospital researchers are finding new outlets for sharing their science with the public. Check out just a few recent videos highlighting investigators from Mass General: Twenty Americans die every day waiting for transplants. Now researcher Harald C. Ott, MD, from the Department of Surgery thinks
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Learning Not to Fear: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Improves Fear Extinction

By Brian Burns | June 13, 2018

Gunes Sevinc, PhD Gunes Sevinc, PhD, is a postdoctoral research fellow in the lab of Sara Lazar, PhD, in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. Her poster recently won an award at Mass General’s Research Fellow Poster Celebration. Continue reading to hear Dr. Sevinc explain her research: Being able to regulate one’s emotions
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Looking for Insights into Mucolipidosis IV

By Brian Burns | June 8, 2018

Amanda Furness, PhD Amanda Furness, PhD, is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Center for Genomic Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. Her poster, Therapeutic insight into Mucolipidosis IV via in vitro glia models, recently won an award at Mass General’s Research Fellow Poster Celebration. We asked Dr. Furness about her research: What problem(s) are you
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New Imaging Protocol Could Vastly Accelerate Clinical Trials for New ALS Treatments

By Brian Burns | May 31, 2018

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have developed a new technique for imaging the brains of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that could vastly reduce the cost and time needed for new clinical trials—while also improving the accuracy of test results.

How New Biomarkers and Smartphone Apps Could Provide New Hope for ALS Patients

By Brian Burns | May 25, 2018

James Berry, a researcher in the Neurological Clinical Research Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital, is working to build tools and identify biomarkers to improve clinical trial methodology. His goal is to speed up the process of identifying the next drug that will slow, reverse or even prevent ALS in the future

Can Studying a Rare Inherited Form of ALS Lead to Earlier Diagnosis and New Treatments?

By Brian Burns | May 23, 2018

Katharine Nicholson, MD Hereditary forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may only account for 10 percent of all ALS cases, but the insights that researchers gain from studying this small population may be the key to unlocking new treatments for this devastating disease. That’s the hope of Katharine Nicholson, MD, a physician-investigator at the Neurological
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Online Platform Accelerates Rare Disease Research

By Brian Burns | May 18, 2018

Earlier this week, the Mass General Neurological Clinical Research Center (NCRI)’s NeuroBANK™ won Bio-IT World‘s Best Practice award in the Personalized & Translational Medicine category. What is the NeuroBANK, and how is it helping to accelerate the discovery, development, and delivery of future treatments for rare diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)? Filling a Need
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Paganoni Advances ALS Research and Care with Technology

By Brian Burns | May 16, 2018

Sabrina Paganoni, MD, PhD Technological advancements have revolutionized nearly every field of medicine from orthopedics to genetic testing. Sabrina Paganoni, MD, PhD, a clinician and researcher in the Neurological Clinical Research Institute (NCRI) at Massachusetts General Hospital, has seen firsthand the potential power and impact technology could have for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Paganoni is
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Mass General Investigators on the Cutting Edge of ALS Research

By Brian Burns | May 10, 2018

Neurological Clinical Research Institute team May is ALS Awareness Month, intended as a time to raise awareness of and foster research for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Eventually these motor neurons die, effecting a
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Study Looks at Risk Factors for Overdose in Adolescents

By Brian Burns | May 2, 2018

A team of investigators from the Addiction Recovery Management Service at Massachusetts General Hospital have identified factors that may increase the risk of drug overdose in adolescents and young adults. The results of their study were published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry last month. Here’s a short video summarizing their findings: “Very little
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Research at Mass General Brigham