Study links DNA methylation to OCD psychotherapy treatment response - News-Medical

OCD is a mental health disorder characterized by unwanted, recurring thoughts and repetitive behaviors that can severely interfere with everyday life. Exposure-based psychotherapy is one of the most effective treatments, but the biological mechanisms underlying treatment response remain poorly understood. To investigate this, researchers from the University of Bergen studied DNA methylation, an epigenetic mechanism in which small chemical groups attach to DNA and can influence gene activity without changing the genetic code.

Stanford researchers recently revealed how a seemingly physics-defying wireless communication technology works. The new technology, called thermal noise communication, harnesses background static that normally is the bane of radio, cellular, and other wireless signals. In a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team showed how a transmitter could deliver data to a receiver without any actively produced signal by manipulating tiny oscillations in voltage. The findings describe how the system works at a fundamental level, opening the door to improving the communication mode and determining real-world applications for it. "We've built a system that others could very easily implement," said senior author Zerina Kapetanovic, an assistant professor of electrical engineering. A physics mysteryIn her previous research at the University of Washington, Kapetanovic studied agricultural sensing technologies, which inspired her to pursue low-power modes of relaying data like soil moisture levels.