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A scientific team from MedUni Vienna's Center for Brain Research has now identified specific cells that regulate the transmission of information between brain areas. This discovery forms the basis for the development of new treatment options for neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and autism, which are characterised by impaired coordination of information flow in the brain.

A drug used in the clinical treatment of angina symptoms also has an anti-inflammatory effect and reduces atherosclerotic plaques in blood vessels - thereby reducing the risk of heart attack or stroke. The study, led by MedUni Vienna and including access to data from Harvard Medical School, has now been published in the highly regarded journal "PNAS".

A collaboration between researchers at the Center for Virology of the Medical University of Vienna and the Pasteur Institute in Paris has provided unexpected insights into the atomic interactions of the tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus in infected cells. In particular, the researchers identified a new molecular switch that is used to control the processes of virus assembly, virus maturation and entry into new cells.

Facial reconstruction possible through DNA analyses An international team led by The University of Vienna and the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology in collaboration with the National Museum of Korea has successfully sequenced and studied the whole genome of eight 1.700-year-old individuals dated to the Three Kingdoms period of Korea (approx. BC-668 AD).

Scientists say more environmental pollutants should be considered in species protection Environmental chemical pollution threatens biodiversity. However, the complexity of this pollution remains insufficiently recognised by decision-makers - this is what international researchers led by Gabriel Sigmund from the University of Vienna and Ksenia Groh from the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) argue in the most recent issue of "Science".

Two unrelated worm phyla give clues on how sex chromosomes might have evolved Studying two highly divergent phyla of worms that contain numerous parasites that cause human and livestock diseases, the research group of Qi Zhou from the University of Vienna and Zhejiang University, sheds light on how sexual reproduction and subsequent great diversity of sex chromosomes might have evolved.

Research at the University of Vienna could solve mystery of human evolution Using the latest scientific methods, Tom Higham and Katerina Douka from the University of Vienna want to solve a great mystery of human evolution: Why are we the only humans left? Higham and Douka were the first ones to find a first-generation offspring of two different types of human.

The study provides an explanation for the phenomenon that daily clocks from flies to humans can exhibit plastic run-times Animals possess circadian clocks, or 24 h oscillators, to regulate daily behavior. These typically take their cues from the periodic change of sunlight and darkness.

By Christoph Pelzl Research published in Nature Machine Intelligence illustrates neuromorphic technology is up to sixteen times more energy-efficient for large deep learning networks than other AI systems. For the first time TU Graz's Institute of Theoretical Computer Science and Intel Labs demonstrated experimentally that a large neural network can process sequences such as sentences while consuming four to sixteen times less energy while running on neuromorphic hardware than non-neuromorphic hardware.

Fluorescent dyes, such as those used in discotheques with black lights or from forensic crime-scene searches for blood traces, play an important role in pharmaceutical research in particular. They can be used to visualize biological structures in fluids, cells or tissues. A team led by neuropharmacologist Margot Ernst from the Medical University of Vienna and theoretical chemist Leticia González from the University of Vienna have conducted a study to investigate the mechanism of a fluorescent dye for neuroscience.

Hyperpolarised water boosts signal intensities of proteins, DNA, and membranes A small group of researchers including Dennis Kurzbach from the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Vienna just published in "Nature Protocols" an advanced NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) method to monitor fast and complicated biomolecular events such as protein folding.

Viral infections during pregnancy affect the mother's brain and her postpartum care behaviour. These are the findings of a research study in a mouse model conducted at MedUni Vienna. The results were published in the leading journal "Molecular Psychiatry". There is ample data from studies in mouse models demonstrating that viral infections during pregnancy can affect the developing brain of the young in utero (in the womb) with lifelong consequences for brain function and behaviour.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a malignant disease associated with a particularly high mortality rate. According to a new multicenter study led by MedUni Vienna and conducted in collaboration with researchers from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Sweden and the United States, SCLC can be divided into several subgroups in terms of clinical behaviour.

Tooth shapes of the tiger shark: Already the embryo changes - and swallows - its teeth From embryo to turtle cracker: a team led by palaeobiologist Julia Türtscher from the University of Vienna studied the multiple changes in tooth shape in the tiger shark. The study, recently published in the Journal of Anatomy, is also central in drawing conclusions about extinct species from the myriad of preserved shark teeth in the field of palaeontology.

Cognitive capabilities in marmoset monkeys are influenced by both their personality as well as family group membership Individual traits seem to drive our learning success: for instance, conscientious individuals often show higher academic performance. A group of cognitive and behavioural biologists from University of Vienna conducted personality assessments and a battery of learning tests with common marmosets and found that such a link, intertwined with family group membership, exists in these monkeys, too.

The chromosomes of cephalopods differ greatly from those of any other group of animals Cephalopods such as octopuses and squids are fascinating animals to both scientists and the general public. Their camouflage ability, complex and highly interactive behaviors, are so unique among the animal kingdom, that they defy our knowledge and understanding we learnt from other "complex" animals, such as humans.

In the largest study so far conducted into schizophrenia, which included more than 320,000 participants, scientists from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC), a group of several hundred researchers from 45 countries, identified a large number of genes that may play a significant role in the disorder.

Up to 80% of people with a spinal cord injury suffer from spasticity. Until now, they had to choose between drugs with severe side effects or risky surgery. Mathematician and neuroscientist Ursula Hofstötter from the Medical University of Vienna developed a procedure that alleviates spasticity and also improves mobility - without any drugs or surgery.

By Christoph Pelzl An international research team has successfully developed and tested a concept in which nerves are stimulated with light pulses. The method provides considerable advantages for medicine and opens up a wide range of possible applications.

New research provides evidence of demographic shifts in sub-Saharan Africa A new analysis of human remains that were buried in African archaeological sites has produced the earliest DNA from the continent, telling a fascinating tale of how early humans lived, traveled and even found their significant others.