09/02/2026 - General information
The use of a standardized protocol significantly reduces headache after lumbar puncture, one of the most common side effects of this procedure, based on the analysis of more than 1,100 punctures. Improving the tolerability of lumbar puncture is key to advancing research in the preclinical stages of Alzheimer's disease and has been made possible thanks to the commitment of volunteers from the ALFA cohort. The study, published in Nature Scientific Reports, involved 724 cognitively healthy adults from the longitudinal ALFA cohort at the BBRC, with the support of the "la Caixa" Foundation.
05/02/2026 - Press release
A recent study from the Hospital del Mar Research Institute shows that cannabis use is associated with increased brain inflammation, which may affect the therapeutic effectiveness of antipsychotic treatments. The study analysed brain MRI scans from nearly 100 individuals-patients with first-episode psychosis and healthy volunteers-using a novel technique that measures extracellular free water. This is the first study to apply this method to examine the effects of cannabis use in psychosis. The findings are published in Molecular Psychiatry and reinforce recommendations against cannabis use in people with psychotic disorders.
Més informació "Cannabis use may influence treatment mechanisms in first-episode psychosis"
02/02/2026 - General information
The Machine of Forgetting is a guide to understanding how memory works and how it defines who we are. Through eleven questions, it explores a wide range of issues, from how we store memories to what makes us human, including the possibility that androids might have feelings. Published by Editorial Ariel, the new book by Dr. Rodrigo Quian Quiroga, neuroscientist at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute and ICREA professor, opens the door to the latest advances in neuroscience and artificial intelligence research, while also establishing parallels with art, philosophy, and football.
13/01/2026 - General information
The journal Nature Mental Health has published a landmark scientific article on the prevention of depression and suicidal behaviour through an evidence-based programme designed to reduce depression and suicidal behaviour: the 4-Level Community Intervention, developed by the European Alliance Against Depression (EAAD). The EAAD approach offers a sustainable model of community-based mental health care that can be effectively adapted to a wide range of contexts, including current and future public health emergencies.
29/12/2025 - General information
A clinical trial led by a team from the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, in collaboration with Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, has received nearly €1.3 million in funding from Spain's Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), under the 2025 call of the Strategic Action in Health-Strategic Lines of Health Research. It is one of the 14 clinical trials selected. The trial is led by Dr. Ana Aldea, coordinator of the HMRIB Clinical Research Unit and Head of the Clinical Pharmacology Section at Hospital del Mar, and Dr. Rafael de la Torre, coordinator of the Integrated Pharmacology and Systems Neuroscience Research Group at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute.
16/10/2025 - Press release
Greater exposure of mothers to airborne particulate matter during pregnancy is linked to lower levels of brain myelination in newborns. This is highlighted by the first study to measure neonatal brain myelination using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Published in the journal Environment International, it is the result of a collaboration between Hospital del Mar and ISGlobal. The research shows that prenatal exposure to fine particles (PM2.5) is associated with slower brain maturation during the first month of life. Myelination is a key marker of brain development.
15/10/2025 - Events
The project, conducted jointly with the Barcelonaβeta Research Center and whose results were published in The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease, involved around one hundred volunteers who were followed for more than a year. To mark the end of five years of collaboration-beginning with the recruitment of participants-the volunteers took part in an event where the study's findings were presented. It was a way to return the results to those who made the research possible.
Més informació "The PENSA study concludes with a farewell celebration for its participants"
16/09/2025 - Institutional news
Immigrants develop their first psychotic episode earlier than native-born individuals-on average, three years earlier. According to the study, this is linked to accumulated trauma throughout life and the age at which migration begins. The research, conducted at Hospital del Mar in collaboration with the Hospital del Mar Research Institute and CIBERSAM, appears in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology.
Més informació "Study Assesses the Impact of Migration on the Mental Health of Immigrants"
09/09/2025 - Press release
A study published in Science identifies the complementary role of the main families of neurons in representing the environment. The work, coordinated by Dr. Manuel Valero, head of the Neural Computation Laboratory at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, presents an open-access tool to analyze neuronal diversity. The tool is already freely available and can be applied to the study of other brain regions and of diseases such as Alzheimer's, epilepsy, major depression, and Down syndrome, paving the way for more specific therapeutic strategies.
Més informació "An artificial intelligence tool reveals how the brain orients itself in space"
31/07/2025 - Press release
This is indicated by the results of the PENSA study, a clinical trial conducted jointly by the Research Institute of Hospital del Mar and the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center, the research center of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation. The study concludes that combining a healthy lifestyle program with epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a natural compound found in green tea, could offer sustained cognitive benefits in people at high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Over the course of one year, around one hundred cognitively healthy volunteers, but in stages potentially prior to the onset of dementia, were monitored. They were divided into three groups. One group received only healthy lifestyle advice. The other two groups underwent a lifestyle improvement intervention program combined with either EGCG or placebo.
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