About Us
Founded in 1944, the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science develops philanthropic support for the Weizmann Institute in Israel, and advances its mission of science for the future of humanity.
Sep 24, 2019...
Seconds before a memory pops up, certain nerve cells jolt into action in sync. This new finding sheds light on how the brain stores and recalls information.
Studying brain cells in action inside the human head is tricky. Putting electrodes in someone’s brain requires surgery. It’s not something researchers do without a good reason. The new study involved people who already had electrodes put in their brains for some medical purpose. These participants all had epilepsy. That brain disorder causes storm-like surges of electrical activity in the brain, known as seizures. Doctors put the electrodes in the patients' brains so they could pinpoint those surges.
Jan 21, 2015...
Unfortunately, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) remains a condition that presents more questions than answers.
Some studies have found a lack of connection or synchronization between different parts of the brain while other studies have found the exact opposite – an over-synchronization in the brains of those with ASD.
Now, new research by scientists at the Weizmann Institute and Carnegie Mellon University suggests that the various reports of both over- and under-connectivity may, in fact, reflect a deeper principle of brain function.
Jul 23, 2019...
Image by Tashatuvango via Shutterstock.com
A trailblazing study by Israeli researchers suggests that intestinal microbes may have a direct effect on the course of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the incurable, fatal neurodegenerative disease also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease that affected physicist Stephen Hawking.
Published today in Nature, the study by researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science revealed that the progression of an ALS-like disease in lab mice was slowed after the mice received certain strains of gut microbes or substances known to be secreted by these microbes.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/gut-microbes-may-affect-the-course-of-als/
Jul 22, 2019...
Gut microbes such as these were found to have altered levels in ALS patients
REHOVOT, ISRAEL—July 22, 2019—Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science have shown in mice that intestinal microbes, collectively termed the gut microbiome, may affect the course of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. As reported in Nature, progression of an ALS-like disease was slowed after the mice received certain strains of gut microbes or substances known to be secreted by these microbes. Preliminary results suggest that the findings on the regulatory function of the microbiome may be applicable to human patients with ALS.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/behavioral-changes-seen-after-sleep-learning/
Nov 12, 2014... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—November 12, 2014—New Weizmann Institute of Science research may bring the idea of sleep learning one step closer to reality. The research, which appears in The Journal of Neuroscience, suggests that certain kinds of conditioning applied during sleep could induce us to change our behavior. The researchers exposed smokers to pairs of smells – cigarettes together with rotten eggs or fish – as the subjects slept, and then asked them to record how many cigarettes they smoked in the following week. The study revealed a significant reduction in smoking following conditioning during sleep.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/the-power-of-sniff/
Oct 06, 2010...
A new device lets the disabled move and communicate with their noses.
The key to restoring movement and communication for the severely disabled may lie on the roofs of our mouths. Researchers have invented a device that allows the paralyzed to write, surf the Web and steer an electric wheelchair—all by sniffing. Initial tests, described recently in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, suggest that patients with severe paralysis may soon have a new way of doing everyday tasks.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/cineastes-more-alike-than-they-think/
Apr 12, 2005...
LONDON—Eggheads from the world-renowned scientific center the Weizmann Institute in Israel, conducting research into the brain activity using excerpts from “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” as stimulus, have made some startling discoveries.
Using 30 minutes from Sergio Leone’s classic Western and state-of-the-art MRI scanning equipment, the Weizmann research team − led by professor of neurobiology Rafael Malach − have found a striking similarity between brain activity patterns in all viewers, no matter what age or gender they are.
Nov 06, 2019...
Computer-enhanced MRI images of the brains of left-handed women identified two that were missing olfactory bulbs
REHOVOT, ISRAEL—November 6, 2019—Is a pair of brain structures called the olfactory bulbs, which are said to encode our sense of smell, necessary? That is, are they essential to the existence of this sense? Weizmann Institute of Science researchers recently showed that some humans can smell just fine, thank you, without said bulbs. Their finding – that around 0.6% of women, and more specifically, up to 4% of left-handed women, have completely intact senses of smell despite having no olfactory bulbs in their brains – calls into question the accepted notion that this structure is absolutely necessary for the act of smelling. The findings of this research, which were published in Neuron, could shake up certain conventional theories that describe the workings of our sense of smell.
Nov 05, 2012...
Image from Shutterstock.com
People can learn to “see” with plastic whiskers attached to their fingers, heralding the potential of a next generation of sight aids that could take advantage of the human ability to adapt to new kinds of sensory perception.
A study from the Weizmann Institute has suggested that people can learn to use prosthetic whiskers to gain a better understanding of their surroundings just like a cat can.
Oct 03, 2011...
Hot spots aid brain, “exciting, disturbing” study hints.
Millions of receptors in the nose’s smelling organ aren’t scattered at random, a new study says. Instead, the receptors congregate in tiny hot spots that help the brain discern good smells from bad ones, among other potential functions.
The evidence was gathered by sticking electronic probes up people’s noses and measuring the chatter of nasal neurons as subjects were exposed to scents.
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