High salt prevents weight gain in mice on a high-fat dietBy: Jennifer Brown | 2015.06.11 | 11:56 am In a study that seems to defy conventional dietary wisdom, University of Iowa scientists have found that adding high salt to a high-fat diet actually prevents weight gain in mice. As exciting as this may sound to fast food lovers, the researchers caution that very high levels of dietary salt are...

By: Jennifer Brown | 2015.05.21 | 11:50 am About a year ago, University of Iowa neuroscientist Andrew Pieper unexpectedly found himself in the position of contradicting seemingly promising results that have prompted a clinical trial for pediatric patients with Rett syndrome—a severe neurodevelopmental disorder on the autism spectrum. Independent reproduction of other scientists' results is a...

GINA MORENO—FEATURED SPEAKER AT RECEPTION HONORING DOCTORAL DEGREE RECIPIENTS Gina Moreno, PhD UIowa Graduate College ReceptionGina Moreno, PhD UIowa Graduate College ReceptionGina Moreno, who received her PhD in neuroscience on Friday, May 15, was the featured speaker at the Graduate College Doctoral Degree Recipients' reception.Moreno studied with Natalie Denburg and Dan Tranel. During her time...

Hawkeye Lunch and Learn event set for April 28 in Des MoinesShare on facebook Share on twitter Share on email More Sharing ServicesBy: Office of Strategic Communication | 2015.04.16 | 08:56 am Bob McMurray, associate professor of psychology, linguistics, and communication sciences and disorders at the University of Iowa, will present "From the pristine lab to the noisy classroom, and back again...

New UI study suggests similarity between how pigeons learn the equivalent of words and the way children doBy: Sara Agnew | 2015.02.04 | 02:11 pm The more scientists study pigeons, the more they learn how their brains—no bigger than the tip of an index finger—operate in ways not so different from our own. In a new study from the University of Iowa, researchers found that pigeons can categorize and...

MRI scan sensitive to metabolic changes reveals brain differences in bipolar disorderSometimes, a new way of looking at something can bring to light an entirely new perspective.Using a different type of MRI imaging, researchers at the University of Iowa have discovered previously unrecognized differences in the brains of patients with bipolar disorder. In particular, the study, published Jan. 6 in...

A study involving the University of Iowa finds crows join humans, apes, and monkeys in exhibiting advanced relational thinkingBy: Sara Agnew | 2014.12.18 | 10:55 am Crows have long been heralded for their high intelligence—they can remember faces, use tools, and communicate in sophisticated ways.But a newly published study finds crows also have the brain power to solve higher-order, relational...

UI's Strack nets NIH grant, GSK Discovery Fast Track award for brain researchBy: Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development | 2014.12.01 | 10:25 am. Stefan Strack, University of Iowa professor of pharmacology and pathology, recently received a $275,000 grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes (NINDS) and today (Monday, Dec. 1) was named a...

UI study offers good news for caregivers, health care workers By: John Riehl | 2014.09.24 | 10:31 AM A new University of Iowa study further supports an inescapable message: caregivers have a profound influence—good or bad—on the emotional state of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. Patients may not remember a recent visit by a loved one or having been neglected by staff at a nursing home, but...

UI study finds twitches during sleep activate the brain in a unique way By: Sara Agnew | 2014.09.29 | 11:23 AM A UI study finds twitches during REM sleep activate the brain in a unique way, providing further evidence that sleep twitches teach newborns about their bodies. ©istockphoto.com/eaniton A University of Iowa study has found twitches made during sleep activate the brains of mammals...