January 27, 2022 | Vanessa McMains
Contact
Vanessa McMains
Director, Media & Public Affairs
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Institute of Human Virology
vmcmains@ihv.umaryland.edu
Cell: 443-875-6099
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Tuesday, September 17, 2024
UM School of Medicine Aims to Accelerate Basic Science Research and Advance Drug Therapies with Newly-Created Department
University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD, has announced the formation of a new Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Drug Development, which merges the Department of Physiology and Department of Pharmacology. This new Department aligns the basic science research efforts of both entities with a strong emphasis on the development of new drug therapies.
Monday, November 14, 2022
Brain Area Thought to Impart Consciousness, Behaves Instead Like an Internet Router
Tucked underneath the brain’s outer, wrinkly cortex is a deeply mysterious area, known as the claustrum. This region has long been known to exchange signals with much of the cortex, which is responsible for higher reasoning and complex thought. Because of the claustrum’s extensive connections, the legendary scientist Francis Crick, PhD, of DNA-discovery fame, first postulated in 2005 that the claustrum is the seat of consciousness. In other words, the region of the brain enabling awareness of the world and ourselves.
Monday, March 14, 2022
Dancing Laboratory Rats Show How the Brain Learns, Perfects, then Unconsciously Performs a Skillful Movement
Learning a complex skilled movement like tying your shoes or playing an instrument takes practice. After repeating the same movements over and over, people often develop a formulaic way of performing the task, and may not even have to think about it anymore. Although we accomplish such repetitive tasks every day, little is known about how the brain learns, repeats, and perfects them.
Wednesday, May 05, 2021
Three Leading UMSOM Faculty Named Among Maryland's Top 100 Women
The Maryland Daily Record has named three leading faculty members at the University of Maryland School of Medicine to its 2021 listing of Maryland’s Top 100 Women. The three-- Tracy L. Bale, PhD, Professor of Pharmacology; Kimberly Lumpkins, MD, MBA, Associate Professor of Surgery; and Jill RachBeisel, MD, the Dr. Irving J. Taylor Professor and Chair of Psychiatry—were chosen for their “outstanding achievements demonstrated through professional accomplishments, community leadership and mentoring,” according to the publication.
Thursday, September 19, 2019
The Reading on the Brain Program Teaches Baltimore City Elementary Students About the Brain-Building Power of Reading
A giant mural with images depicting reading and the brain was unveiled during a ribbon cutting ceremony at Baltimore's Callaway Elementary School. It was part of Reading on the Brain, a University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) program to teach young students about the importance of reading and how reading can stimulate brain development and inspire future success.
Monday, April 29, 2019
UMSOM’s Reading on the Brain Program Teaches Baltimore City Elementary Students About the Brain-Building Power of Reading
Acting Baltimore City Mayor Jack Young joined 4th and 5th grade students at Callaway Elementary School to help paint a mural about the brain. It was all part of Reading on the Brain, a University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) program to teach young students about the importance of reading and how reading can stimulate brain development and inspire future success. Tracy Bale, PhD, is leading the pilot program, which also emphasizes science and helps children to understand how the brain works.
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
New Study Finds Unexpected Link Between Immune Cells and Male/Female Differences
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) have made a surprising discovery: during fetal development, a particular immune cell seems to play a key role in determining the male or female characteristics of the brain.
Monday, July 16, 2018
Microbes from Birth Canal May Affect Stress Levels of Offspring
Researchers have long known that stress during pregnancy may be transferred from the mother to her offspring. Many studies have shown that this stress can have long-lasting impacts on the physical and emotional health of the offspring. However, the mechanisms of this transfer have remained mysterious. A new study has unraveled one possible way in which these effects move from mother to child.
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
Scientists Identify Mechanism That May Explain Why Males Have a Higher Risk for Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Researchers have recently begun to realize that biological sex plays a key role in disease risk. Sex differences play a role in hypertension, diabetes, arthritis – and in many neurological and psychiatric disorders. Depression and anxiety affect females more, while neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorders, early onset schizophrenia, and attention deficit hyperactivity, affect more males. Males are also more sensitive to issues during pregnancy, such as maternal stress, maternal infection and exposure to drugs.
Thursday, May 03, 2018
Renowned Journalist Nicholas Kristof Speaks on Justice and Society
Renowned New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof will speak on May 3 at the Peabody Library in Baltimore on the need to build a fairer society.
Thursday, March 01, 2018
Increased Stress on Fathers Leads to Brain Development Changes in Offspring
New research in mice has found that a father’s stress affects the brain development of his offspring. This stress changes the father’s sperm, which can then alter the brain development of the child. This new research provides a much better understanding of the key role that fathers play in the brain development of offspring.