Flawed research methods exaggerate the prevalence of depression
An over-reliance on self-report screening questionnaires, wherein patients essentially define their own condition, in place of diagnostic interviews conducted by a health care professional, has resulted in over-estimation of the prevalence of people with depression in many research studies 鈥� often by a factor of two to three times. This is according to a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Alzheimer鈥檚 disease: neuronal loss very limited
Frequently encountered in the elderly, Alzheimer鈥檚 is considered a neurodegenerative disease, which means that it is accompanied by a significant, progressive loss of neurons and their nerve endings, or synapses. A joint French and Canadian study published in Scientific Reports now challenges this view.
Being bilingual may help autistic children
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) often have a hard time switching gears from one task to another. But being bilingual may actually make it a bit easier for them to do so, according to a new study which was recently published in Child Development.
Progression of Parkinson鈥檚 disease follows brain connectivity
A study by a group of researchers including those from The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital of UU直播 has tested the theory that brain degeneration in Parkinson鈥檚 disease (PD) originates in subcortical regions and spreads along neural networks to the cerebral cortex.
A repeating fast radio burst from an extreme environment
New detections of radio waves from a repeating fast radio burst have revealed an astonishingly potent magnetic field in the source鈥檚 environment, indicating that it is situated near a massive black hole or within a nebula of unprecedented power.
UU直播 researchers contribute to three of 10 鈥榙iscoveries of year鈥� selected by Quebec Science for 2017
Qu茅bec Science magazine has selected its 10 Discoveries of the Year for 2017, including three involving UU直播 researchers. The annual list has highlighted top scientific research from across Quebec for the past 25 years, and UU直播 has been cited more than any other institution during that quarter-century.
Clinical trial of novel approach to treating osteoporosis represents 鈥渟ignificant breakthrough,鈥� according to clinician-scientist at the Lady Davis Institute
A regimen of a novel bone anabolic medication (which builds bone mass) followed by an antiresorptive agent (which maintains bone mass) has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of fracture among post-menopausal women with severe osteoporosis, according to results of a clinical trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Origins of photosynthesis in plants dated to 1.25 billion years ago
The world鈥檚 oldest algae fossils are a billion years old, according to a new analysis by earth scientists at UU直播. Based on this finding, the researchers also estimate that the聽basis for photosynthesis in today鈥檚 plants was set in place 1.25 billion years ago.
A non-invasive method to detect Alzheimer鈥檚 disease
New research has drawn a link between changes in the brain鈥檚 anatomy and biomarkers that are known to appear at the earliest stages of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease (AD), findings that could one day provide a sensitive but non-invasive test for AD before cognitive symptoms appear.
Using DNA strands to design new polymer materials
UU直播 researchers have chemically imprinted polymer particles with DNA strands 鈥� a technique that could lead to new materials for applications ranging from biomedicine to the promising field of 鈥渟oft robotics.鈥�
In a study published in Nature Chemistry, the researchers describe a method to create asymmetrical polymer particles that bind together in a spatially defined manner, the way that atoms come together to make molecules.
Does Chagas disease present a health risk to Canadians?
Believe it or not, a tropical blood parasite native to Latin America could be harmful to Canadians. Infectious diseases like malaria or Zika may have dominated recent headlines but Chagas 鈥� the 鈥淜issing Bug鈥� disease 鈥� is in the spotlight following the publication of a new case study in the聽Canadian Medical Association Journal聽(CMAJ).
American cities with large Hispanic populations are less likely to police the police
How individual police forces treat those that they suspect of being illegal immigrants varies greatly from one city to the next in the U.S. In Albuquerque, New Mexico, the police department has a policy that states clearly, 鈥淥fficers shall not stop, question, detain or arrest any person on the ground that they may be undocumented and deportable foreign nationals.鈥� But this is unusual. Local police departments across the U.S.
Borrowing a leaf from biology to preserve threatened languages
One of the world鈥檚 7,000 languages vanishes every other week, and half 鈥� including scores of indigenous North American languages -- might not survive the 21st century, experts say. To preserve as much linguistic diversity as possible in the face of this threat, UU直播 scientists are proposing to borrow a leaf from conservation biology.
Being a musician can help you decipher language in loud environments聽
A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has shown that musical training helps people hear speech聽syllables in loud environments, and has shown how this happens. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), researchers Yi Du and Robert Zatorre monitored brain function as musicians and non-musicians listened to speech fragments and varying background聽noise levels.
