11/08/2022 - Press release
The research, led by the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC), research center of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation, the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM-Hospital del Mar) and the University of Gothenburg, has been published in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine. The study, which used data from almost 400 participants of the ALFA+ Study, which has the impetus of the "la Caixa" Foundation, determines that the biomarkers p-tau231 and p-tau217 measured in the blood are suitable for indicating brain changes related to the amyloid protein in people without cognitive symptoms. The results of this research make p-tau231 a very promising blood biomarker to detect early those middle-aged people who show the first brain changes associated with Alzheimer's and to conduct clinical trials aimed at this early stage of Alzheimer's.
02/12/2021 - Press release
A study using mice shows that animals fed a diet rich in beneficial live microorganisms suffer less from the addictive effects of alcohol consumption. The work has been published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition. It is the first to analyse the possible relationship between intestinal bacteria and the possibility of altering addictive behaviours related to alcohol use. In the study, animals that maintain a healthy microbiota also avoid addiction relapse and have lesser effects from associated disorders such as depression and anxiety.
According to a study by the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute and the Germans Trias i Pujol Institute of Health Sciences published in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, driving after drinking alcohol mixed with energy drinks can give the driver a false sense of security, thus increasing the chances of driving while intoxicated and suffering an accident Due to their high caffeine content, energy drinks reduce the sedative effect of alcohol, despite not affecting its negative effects on driving ability Moreover, combining the two drinks increases blood concentrations of alcohol and caffeine. Researchers warn that these effects may favour alcohol intoxication in people with a lower tolerance to these drinks
Més informació "Mixing energy drinks with alcohol can increase the risk of a traffic accident"
16/09/2021 - Press release
Older adults who are overweight or obese who stick most closely to the Mediterranean diet preserve their cognitive performance and even improve their abilities after three years, according to a study led by researchers at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute and the CIBEROBN, published in the journal Clinical Nutrition. Memory improvements are proportional to the level of adherence to the Mediterranean diet, weight loss and increased physical activity. At the same time, these changes translate into improvements in people's quality of life. The work is based on the PREDIMED-PLUS trial and shows that women and people with less education gain less benefit on a cognitive level from this type of dietary intervention. This leads the researchers to support the personalization of these approaches in order to maximize the benefit.
Més informació "The Mediterranean diet helps improve cognitive function and memory"
2/12/2020 - Press release
The article published in the journal World Psychiatry and endorsed by the informal scientific network of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), and including the United States National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), validates and corroborates the approach to the dual diagnosis implemented at Hospital del Mar for patients being treated for addiction to a substance of abuse who, in addition, suffer another psychiatric pathology. Dual diagnosis is a major health problem that causes, according to the article, an increased number of emergencies in healthcare centres, as well as more psychiatric hospitalisations, a higher risk of relapse into drug use and premature death, including suicide. This has individual and social repercussions, as well as consequences for healthcare systems, and means that a multidisciplinary and comprehensive approach is required. Nevertheless, as the authors of the paper point out, there is a generalised lack of preparedness to deal with this situation.
01/12/2020 - Press release
The public-private consortium formed by the biotech company Connecta Therapeutics, the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) and the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) has received a grant for 1,970,520 Euro from the Spanish National Innovation Agency to develop an innovative treatment for fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common form of hereditary intellectual disability. The grant comes from the 2019 "Collaboration Challenges" call for projects of the National R&D&I Programme geared towards societal challenges. The call received 420 applications, 158 of which will be funded.
03/09/2020 - Press release
The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded Dr. Arnau Busquets García, a Ramón y Cajal researcher at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), with a prestigious ERC Starting Grant. This recognition includes 1.5 million euros to develop a 5-year project. Grants from the ERC, which are part of the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, are the main source of European funding for research excellence. They support highly innovative projects led by outstanding and internationally renowned researchers, with the aim of helping them to build their own teams and carry out pioneering research in Europe. In this year's edition, 3272 applications were submitted and 436 grants were awarded, for a total of 677 million euros. The recipients have 40 different nationalities and the projects will be developed in 25 different EU member states. The countries awarded the most grants are Germany (88 grants), the UK (62), the Netherlands (42), and France (38). Spain secured a total of 23 grants, 7 of which are going to Catalan research centers.
17/08/2020 - Press release
The journal is dedicating a prominent position to research on cannabis and its derivatives, its recreational use, the associated risks, and potential medical applications. It features articles by some of the most prominent figures in the field, under the editorship of Dr. Torrens and Dr. Maldonado. The July issue of the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology is dedicating a special section to the controversy over the globally growing trend to legalise the use of marijuana for certain recreational and medical uses. This has been edited by Dr. Marta Torrens, director of the Addictions Process Group at the Hospital del Mar Institute of Neuropsychiatry and Addictions (INAD) and coordinator of the Addictions Research Group at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), and Dr. Rafael Maldonado, head of the Neuropharmacology Laboratory at the Department of Experimental and Health Sciences (CEXS) at Pompeu Fabra University and the IMIM. Together they authored an editorial on the subject for the journal.
27/07/2020 - Press release
World-Wide FINGERS (WW-FINGERS) is the first global network of clinical trials for risk reduction and prevention of dementia and Alzheimer´s disease through multidomain interventions. Spanish researchers from the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC), the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) and the CITA Alzheimer Foundation participate in this network which convenes research teams from over 30 countries. The main scope, scientific strategy and activities of the WW-FINGERS network have been recently published in Alzheimer´s & Dementia. WW-FINGERS builds upon the successful experience of FINGER study: the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability, led by Prof. Miia Kivipelto and her team (Karolinska Institutet, Sweden; University of Eastern Finland; Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare and Imperial College London, UK). This pioneering randomized clinical trial (RCT) demonstrated that a 2-year multidomain lifestyle intervention consisting of nutritional guidance, exercise, social stimulation, cognitive training, and control of vascular risk factors benefitted cognition in seniors at increased risk of dementia (Lancet 2015).
08/07/2020 - Press release
Cannabis use can lead to behavioral changes, including reduced social interactions in some individuals. To better understand the phenomenon, Inserm researcher Giovanni Marsicano and his team from NeuroCenter Magendie (Inserm/Université de Bordeaux), in collaboration with University of Salamanca (Spain) professor, Juan P Bolaños and his team, have identified for the first time in mice the cerebral mechanisms underlying the relationship between cannabis and reduced sociability. Their findings have been published in Nature. Dr. Arnau Busquets, currently a Ramon y Cajal researcher in the IMIM's Integrated Pharmacology and Systems Neuroscience Research Group is one of the first authors of this work. He has been responsible for carrying out the in vivo part of the project in mice, during his postdoctoral period in Dr. Marsicano's team in Bordeaux. Dr. Busquets started his own group last September (https://www.imim.cat/programesrecerca/neurociencies/grfh/cell-type_mechanisms_in_normal_and_pathological_behavior/index.htm)
Més informació "Star-Shaped Brain Cells Shed Light on the Link Between Cannabis Use and Sociability"
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