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.
25/07/2025 - Press release
Researchers from the Hospital del Mar Research Institute and Yale University, in the United States, have demonstrated how the action of certain genes on precursor cells of brain formation can cause alterations linked to cortical malformations but also to the origin of neuropsychiatric diseases such as autism or bipolar disorder. The study, published in Nature Communications, is the first of its kind. It has been able to simulate the function of a list of nearly 3,000 genes linked to these pathologies during human brain development.
27/06/2025 - Press release
A study by the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, recently published in the journal PNAS, advances our understanding of how the brain makes decisions by participating in the storage of associations between different stimuli. The research has identified the importance of specific brain areas in these processes, particularly the amygdala and its relationship with parts of the cerebral cortex. This finding could lead to new therapeutic approaches for treating mental disorders such as psychosis or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study was conducted on mice, but the researchers believe that the mechanisms involved may be similar in humans.
Més informació "Understanding How the Brain Makes Decisions"
10/06/2025 - General information
The Spanish Society of Neurology has awarded the scientific career of the coordinator of the Multiple Sclerosis Unit at Hospital del Mar and the coordinator of the Neuroimmunology Research Group at its research institute. Dr. José Enrique Martínez received the 'Premio SEN Esclerosis Múltiple' on June 4th, during the Institutional Ceremony of the Spanish Society of Neurology, recognizing his scientific work in this field. These awards represent the SEN's recognition of individuals or entities that have contributed to the development of neurology.
Més informació "SEN Multiple Sclerosis Award for Dr. José Enrique Martínez"
27/05/2025 - Press release
A joint project between the three research institutions has been selected for funding by the XPRIZE Foundation of the United States. It will receive $250,000 to demonstrate that it is possible to extend human healthy lifespan. The VITA project proposes combining two existing molecules and a multimodal lifestyle intervention to extend quality of life during aging. The team formed by the three institutions now has one year to provide the first preliminary results and move on to a new stage of the awards, where the efficacy of the proposed new therapy will be assessed.
10/04/2025 - Institutional news
This initiative, aimed at supporting people with mild to moderate depression, is being relaunched with new and improved features. The goal is to enhance both user experience and accessibility. The project is an initiative of the European Alliance Against Depression (EAAD), in collaboration with the Mental Health area of CIBER (CIBERSAM), and led by the Hospital del Mar Research Institute in Spain.
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