This year's Sumner and Hermine Marshall Endowed Last Lecture will be given by Dr. Rupa Lalchandani Tuan. Dr. Tuan will deliver a lecture on the prompt, "If you had but one lecture to give, what would you say?”
Scientists at UCSF have identified cells in the throat that sense when fluid is aspirated, or acid is regurgitated. The work could one day help prevent pneumonia and treat chronic cough. When a mouthful of water goes down the wrong pipe – heading toward a healthy person’s lungs instead of their gut – they start coughing uncontrollably. That’s because their upper airway senses the water and quickly signals the brain. The same coughing reflex is set off in people with acid reflux, when acid from the stomach reaches the throat.
The next generation of scientists is using artificial intelligence to understand how our minds turn sounds into words. Ten UCSF graduate students presented their research in accessible, 3-minute talks at the 2024 Grad Slam event. This year’s first-place talk was by Ilina Bhaya-Grossman on how our brains make meaning out of groups of vowels, consonants and pauses in our native tongues to recognize words.
UCSF-led research shows smartphone cognitive testing is comparable to gold-standard methods and may detect FTD in gene carriers before symptoms start. A smartphone app could enable greater participation in clinical trials for people with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a devastating neurological disorder that often manifests in mid-life.
Cognitive difficulties, shame and the discomfort of family and friends limit opportunities to connect with others. People with dementia and those who care for them should be screened for loneliness, so providers can find ways to keep them socially connected.
Newest member of the research network will bring large-scale data collection and cutting-edge analysis to help discover new therapies for disease. The Allen Institute is the newest member of the Weill Neurohub, a collaborative research network advancing treatments for neurological diseases.
Collaboration supports one of the state’s largest private philanthropic gifts and helps increase access to care close to home for Hawaii residents. UCSF Health is expanding its collaboration with two hospitals in Hawaii, Hawai’i Pacific Health and Hilo Medical Center, to support a $150 million gift from Lynne and Marc Benioff that aims to increase access to high-quality medical care for Hawaii residents.
Scientists link disruption of a sensitive eye reflex to profound autism, creating opportunities for faster diagnosis and new treatment. UCSF scientists may have discovered a new way to test for autism by measuring how children’s eyes move when they turn their heads.
When we listen to music, some neurons hear the notes of a melody, while others anticipate which notes will be next. Rather than simply hearing a string of notes, the brain is assessing them for patterns and predicting which notes will be next.
New study may support heat-based treatment to stimulate self-cooling as new treatment. People with depression have higher body temperatures, suggesting there could be a mental health benefit to lowering the temperatures of those with depression.