Archives: Successes

Studies have shown that 15% of schizophrenics drink in excess of 3 liters of water daily. About 25% of these patients also exhibit water retention which leads to low blood sodium if mild, and life-threatening water intoxication if severe. When Manteno State Hospital asked The University of Chicag...

There are more than 4,000 chemicals found in the smoke of tobacco products, but nicotine is the primary reinforcing component that acts on the brain and causes addiction. Addiction is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, even though these behaviors increase the probability of dire he...

 Dr. Maciej Lesniak, Associate Professor of Surgery at The University of Chicago, is working on a novel treatment strategy that will specifically target tumor cells and spare normal cells by manipulating the immune system—immunotherapy. Immunotherapy means a treatment based upon the co...

Dr. Kristen Jacobson, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at The University of Chicago, has always been interested in environmental experiences and their effect on behavior, but thought there was something more to why people behave how they do. It is easy to blame poor parenting, or the wrong peer ...

Sleep is considered restorative and important for illness recovery. In converse, sleep disruption has been shown to adversely affect recovery from illness by reducing cognition, immune function, respiratory drive and cardiovascular function. Yet, the sleep of critically ill patients has received ...

In September, the Brain Research Foundation was awarded a grant for $50,000 from Peregrine Charities to support Dr. Kamal Sharma’s research, at the University of Chicago, on spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). SMA is the leading genetic cause of death in infants and toddlers, yet it is still a r...

Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe and disabling psychiatric disorder that affects approximately 1% of the population worldwide. More than 2 million Americans suffer from the illness in a given year. Despite extensive studies, the causes of schizophrenia have yet to be determined.