My Blue Dots

By 2040, experts estimate that nearly 400,000 people worldwide will be living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. This degenerative nervous system disease damages nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscle movement, leading to progressive muscle weakness, loss of muscle mass and, eventually, difficulty breathing. Current ALS diagnosis relies on neurological evaluations and the presence of symptoms; at present, there is no definitive diagnostic test.

A University of Alberta-led team has identified a new way to treat post-surgical pain in animals and human cells, in a bid to find non-addictive treatments for acute and even chronic pain.

Making a smoothie, going for an evening walk, or having empathy for a loved one are all examples of executive functions that are controlled by the brain’s frontal cortex. This area of the brain goes through profound change throughout adolescence, and it is during this time that abnormalities in maturing circuits can set the stage for neurodevelopmental disorders, such as schizophrenia and ADHD.