Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which impacts communication and interaction abilities, affects 1 in every 54 children in the United States. In order to understand the biological basis of these types of human disorders, scientists must turn to translational animal models—research with animals that closely reflects the same processes in humans.     Until now, there hasn’t been an …

Researchers at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (WiNPRC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) recently made a discovery that moves the scientific community one step closer to understanding and treating Parkinson’s disease.  Parkinson’s, which affects more than 10 million people worldwide, progressively degrades the nervous system, causing tremors, loss of muscle control, cardiac and …

Here’s a sobering statistic: one in every five American women and one in every 10 American men at the age of 45 are at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Moreover, as the rate of the disease continues to increase and promising therapies tested in rodents fail in human subjects, the need for another option has …

Scientists have made one more step toward the treatment and cure of multiple sclerosis (MS) by developing a compound that successfully promotes the regeneration of the protective myelin sheath around nerve cells. In a recent study, scientists at the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) described successfully testing …

Is it possible for consciousness to be controlled through the brain? And if so, what implications could this have for people with serious brain disorders or conditions, like comas? As it turns out, a small amount of electricity delivered at a specific frequency to a particular point in the brain will wake a nonhuman primate …

Could increasing just a single type of molecule in the brain alleviate anxiety? According to researchers at the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC), it could indeed. Anxiety disorders often emerge around adolescence and can continue to affect people for most of their lives. Researchers can now identify children who display an extreme anxious or …

People who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other stress- and anxiety-related conditions experience debilitating bouts of fear when they encounter certain environmental cues. In some cases, these bouts of fear come about when cues that merely resemble those that were directly associated with a traumatic or stressful episode are encountered. As a result, …

It has been known that a widely-used attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drug affected the brain—but the specifics of those effects hadn’t been fully understood until now. Luis Populin, PhD, professor of neuroscience in the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and colleagues at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (WiNPRC) have …

Parkinson’s Disease is a complicated neurological illness, the causes of which are still not fully understood by the scientific community. Researchers at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (WiNPRC), however, recently made a discovery that could serve as a useful piece of the proverbial Parkinson’s puzzle. The WiNPRC scientists conducted a study that found phosphorylated …

Frequent alcohol use among adolescents and young adults has the potential to be dangerous for obvious reasons—and now, new research in nonhuman primates shows it can actually slow the rate of growth in developing brains. Researchers at Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon, measured the …

Alcoholism isn’t easily explained, but it can have devastating effects for sufferers and their friends and families. New research conducted at Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) at Oregon Health & Science University has identified a gene which could be a new target for developing medication to prevent and treat this psychological disease. In the …

What if certain parts of the brain could be turned off to treat neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease? Though it seems far-fetched now, such a solution could soon become reality. During the last 10 years, the field of neuroscience research has been revolutionized by new genetic techniques, allowing neuroscientists to express artificial proteins in neurons …

It’s proven stress wears down the body and compromises the immune system—but why? Scientists can’t yet fully explain how the association between stress and health plays out at the cellular level, but they are closer thanks to recent results from a collaborative study. Researchers at the Washington National Primate Research Center (WaNPRC) at the University …

According to a new study by scientists at the Southwest National Primate Research Center (SNPRC) at Texas Biomedical Research Institute, marmosets can mimic the sleep disturbances, changes in circadian rhythm and cognitive impairment in people with Parkinson’s disease. This is a significant development since an effective animal model that can emulate both the motor and …

Ever wonder how your brain knows what a certain object is, even if the object is mostly hidden? Researchers at the Washington National Primate Research Center (WaNPRC) at the University of Washington (UW) may have discovered an explanation for this phenomenon. Researchers studied brain signals and tracked eye movements in rhesus monkeys while the animals …

Most of us enjoy listening to our favorite tunes while in the car or relaxing at home—but could music serve an even deeper purpose in our lives? In September, Larry Sherman, PhD, a professor in the Division of Neuroscience at the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), joined …

Parkinson’s disease is most widely known for causing muscle tremors and motor-control symptoms, but most Parkinson’s sufferers also exhibit damage to their hearts’ connection to the sympathetic nervous system. In fact, that damage is one of the first signs of Parkinson’s, but the connection is often not made until the more visible symptoms develop. Researchers …

Stress can lead to a host of health issues, including heart disease, digestive problems, asthma and diabetes. Stress can also be inherited, setting up infants and children for lives of anxiety as a result of stressors their parents faced before they were even conceived. Fortunately, researchers at Emory University’s Yerkes National Primate Research Center have …

Anxiety disorders affect some 40 million Americans; more than 16 million Americans suffer from depression, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (WiNPRC) have discovered brain pathways in juvenile monkeys that may lead to the development of anxiety and depression …

The holy grail of autism research is a reliable test for the condition – and researchers at the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC), working with colleagues at the Stanford University School of Medicine, have made a promising discovery that may lead to just such a test. According to the research team, reduced levels of …

Nearly one million Americans live with Parkinson’s disease (PD). As the disease progresses, people who have PD are likely to lose motor functions and the ability to live an independent life. Much of this is attributable to the drug treatment for PD that leads to abnormal, involuntary movements known as dyskinesias. Scientists at Yerkes National …

Understanding the genetic code is one thing. Altering it is something different altogether. Researchers at the Washington National Primate Research Center (WaNPRC) have discovered a technique for inserting a specific gene into the brain’s membrane, which could modify how the brain works, alter behavior, and potentially correct neurological disorders. Researchers think that this approach, which …

It can make a parent’s heart race – finding out your infant must undergo extensive surgery that requires general anesthesia. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), approximately one million children under the age of four annually undergo surgery with general anesthesia, making understanding effects of early life exposure to anesthesia critical. Yerkes …

Familiarity makes the heart grow fonder, at least when it comes to the prairie vole. This rodent species is monogamous, with partners forming lifelong bonds. Until recently, no one knew why. That “why” is exactly what researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center at Emory University want to understand. “Prairie voles were critical to …

Menopause isn’t always accompanied by physical symptoms. In fact, for many women, the side effects of this hormonal change aren’t quite as tangible as hot flashes and stiff joints. A decline in mental faculties such as reasoning and perception can often occur. However, a study from the Oregon National Primate Research Center suggests that hormone …