Recent developments represent a dramatic change from long standing federal policy around these substances that has historically criminalized their use and blocked or delayed research efforts into their therapeutic potential.

In the second season of The Fundamentals podcast, co-hosts Kelly Malcom and Jordan Goebig talk to several leading experts from the Medical School about their fields and the fundamental questions they are trying to answer — and discover why U-M is such an amazing place for research. Six new episodes of the popular podcast were released on May 6

Today on The Fundamentals is Dr. Maria Castro, the R.C. Schneider collegiate professor of neurosurgery, and a professor of cell and developmental biology at the University of Michigan Medical School. Her research program aims to develop immunotherapies for primary and metastatic brain cancer, studying basic immune biology mechanisms leading to clinical implementation. She has been inducted into the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, the Latin American Academy of Sciences, and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering College of Fellows. She has won numerous awards for her contributions to basic science and cancer research and is a diversity ambassador for the Cancer Biology Graduate Training Program. You can learn more about Dr. Castro here, and you can follow her @castro2355_mg, the Rogel Cancer Center @UMRogelCancer, the department of neurosurgery @umichneuro, Michigan Neurscience Institute @UM_MNI and the department of cell and developmental biology @UMCDB on X

Researchers improved memory and reduced neuroinflammation in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s Disease, suggesting another avenue for potential treatment.

An expert from the University of Michigan Addiction Center shares the impacts of teen substance use and what families can do to help youth who may be at risk or showing signs of addiction.

Virtual program to promote smoking cessation among Medicaid enrolled expectant mothers

Perinatal mental health research shows more pregnant people and those who have recently given birth are getting diagnosed and treated for depression, anxiety and PTSD, but disparities remain.

People in their 80s and 90s with cognitive abilities similar to much younger people, called super agers, are taking part in a national study of their brain health.

A team led by Vanessa Dalton, MD, MPH, and Kara Zivin, PhD, has received a $3 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to study the mental health impacts of recent changes in reproductive health policy.

In this episode of Minding Memory, Matt & Donovan speak with Dr. Joanne Spetz, the Brenda and Jeffrey L. Kang Presidential Chair in Healthcare Finance and Director of the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Joanne talks with Matt & Donovan about who makes up the professional workforce of people who provide dementia care and how these individuals play a critical role in the delivery of services. Joanne also discusses how different professional roles interact across setting of care. Lastly, Joanne introduces a new study she is working on with Donovan called the National Dementia Workforce Study (NDWS) that will be surveying a large group of clinicians who provide care for people living with dementia.

New findings about the impact of IV ketamine on treatment resistant depression add more fuel to the potential for broader use and insurance coverage.

Intravenous (IV) ketamine helped relieve the depression symptoms of half of the veterans who received it at VA hospitals.

A new study links two autism-associated genes together for the first time, potentially revealing a mechanism behind brain changes seen in people with autism.

In this episode of Minding Memory, Matt & Donovan speak with Dr. Lisa Barnes, the Alla V. and Solomon Jesmer Professor of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Neurological Sciences and Associate-Director of the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Rush University. Dr. Barnes talks with Matt & Donovan about racial disparities in Alzheimer’s disease dementia and several obstacles that have impeded our understanding of race and dementia.

The death rate for patients with functional, nonepileptic seizures is higher than expected, with a rate comparable to epilepsy and severe mental illness, a Michigan Medicine-led study finds.