A look back at 2018.
2018 was an exciting year for scientific discovery. From breakthrough discoveries in the gut brain axis to the alleged gene edited baby, there have been some major milestones this year in medical innovation.
- One of the biggest advancements was "The brain in our Gut" research. This year a team from Duke University discovered a direct circuit between the brain and the gut allowing fast sensory communication. This discovery not only changed the ideas surrounding how appetite and satiety is communicated from the gut to the brand but displayed a previously unknown neural circuit.
- Dubbed the "Big Bang" of Alzheimer's, scientists at UT Southwestern revealed the earliest point in a neuro-degenerative process that is thought to lead to dementia. A milestone in Alzheimer's research and paving the way for new diagnostic testing and developing treatments that can stop the progression in its earliest stages. The FDA approved the first marijuana-derived medicine! In June, the US FDA approved a new drug consisting of cannabidiol for the treatment of two forms of childhood-onset epilepsies.