Stories

Review finds no definitive standard for identifying and treating veterans at risk for suicide

By Erik Robinson June 15, 2017

A systematic review of basic and clinical science research has revealed no definitive standard for detecting military veterans at risk of suicidal behavior, nor is there a clear standard of treatment to prevent suicide among U.S. veterans.

Multiple sclerosis won’t deter OHSU patient from Race Across the West

By Erik Robinson May 23, 2017

Chris Ramsey, a physical therapist who lives in Beaverton, Oregon, is currently training for the Race Across the West, a 930-mile bike race from southern California to Colorado that begins June 13. Notably, he is believed to be the first person with MS to attempt the race solo.

Research Week 2017: Understanding the brain: ‘We’ve got a lot of work to do’

By Erik Robinson May 04, 2017

Kevin Wright, Ph.D. is an assistant professor running his own laboratory in OHSU’s Vollum Institute, where he applies his natural curiosity toward solving one of the most formidable puzzles in science and medicine: how the nervous system works.

Research Week 2017: Investment in basic research is the key to unlocking the brain’s secrets

By Erik Robinson May 03, 2017

Gail Mandel, Ph.D., is helping to develop a gene therapy technique to repair a mutation on the X chromosome which causes the neurological disease Rett syndrome.

Research Week 2017: ‘How can we use our brains to understand our brains?’

By Erik Robinson May 01, 2017

Tianyi Mao, Ph.D., maps what she refers to as the “connectome,” how different parts of the brain connect together to perform different tasks.

New study outlines financial incentive for in-hospital opioid intervention program

By Erik Robinson April 28, 2017

A new study makes a business case for establishing an in-hospital intervention program for patients affected by substance use disorder.

Subtle symptoms add up to big problem

By Erik Robinson April 05, 2017

Elizabeth Whispell maintains an active lifestyle, so she didn’t give much thought to what seemed to be subtle changes in her appearance. It wasn’t until later that she learned she actually had a rare pituitary disorder – a condition serious enough that it ultimately required brain surgery by specialists at OHSU in Portland.

Taking on the opioid epidemic in Oregon

By Erik Robinson April 03, 2017

OHSU doctors and scientists working to address the opioid epidemic which has claimed thousands of lives and resulted in a doubling of the number of people who reported heroin addiction in a single decade, from 2003 to 2013.

New hope for treating a rare genetic disorder

By Erik Robinson March 29, 2017

Research published online in the journal Endocrinology found that a small synthetic molecule initially developed to lower cholesterol may slow or stop the devastating progression of the neurodegenerative disease adrenoleukodystrophy, or ALD. The study was conducted in a mouse model, but planning is under way for a human clinical trial.

Stem cell treatment for stroke shows promising results, study finds

By Erik Robinson March 17, 2017

Stroke medication currently available must be given within three hours to have the maximum benefit, but many patients do not make it to the hospital in time to receive it. A newly developed potential treatment involving the use of stem cells to promote brain recovery may greatly extend this window.

Author: Erik Robinson

OHSU in the News