Seeking a Worldwide Neuroscience Community
Progress Report on Brain Research

Seeking a Worldwide Neuroscience Community

International Brain Research Organization President Carlos Belmonte looks back at the research highlights of 2008 and argues for the importance of creating a brain science community on a global scale, so that all countries can share in the scientific adventure of exploring the brain. Part of our 2009 Progress Report on Brain Research, an annual review of cutting-edge findings.

Interview

Facing Up to the ‘New Face’ of Parkinson’s Disease

Anthony E. Lang at the University of Toronto explains why he thinks we stand on the verge of a new era in Parkinson’s disease therapy. Part of our Advances in Brain Research series.

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Researchers Find New Point of Entry for HIV in Brain Cells
News

Researchers Find New Point of Entry for HIV in Brain Cells

by Elizabeth Norton Lasley

One out of three people living with HIV may have associated neurological disease, from tremors to dementia. Researchers have now identified a route through which the virus wreaks havoc on brain cells.

News

The ‘Super-aged’ Proffer a Template

by Kayt Sukel

Studying people who stay sharp deep into their later years offers researchers a new angle on the process of diseases of memory and aging.

Pediatric Screening and the Public Good

Pediatric Screening and the Public Good

by Jennifer Kwon, M.D., M.P.H., and Richard H. Dees, Ph.D.

Cerebrum

Screening for disorders in children can prevent problems later in life, but potential drawbacks such as ambiguous results, the thin line between screening and research, and competition for funding are reason for further deliberation.

News

ALS-type Mutation Seen in Dogs, Too

by Kathlyn Stone

Researchers have found that dogs with a neurodegenerative disorder share a gene mutation similar to that for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in humans. Such dogs could be a good model for testing potential ALS therapies.

Blog

'Voodoo' Neuroscience

A forthcoming paper argues that many prominent functional magnetic resonance imaging results are too good to be true. Also, a link between a sleep disorder and neurodegenerative diseases awakens curiosity about better ways to diagnose these illnesses.

Year in Review

Eric Kandel on the Year in Neuroscience

Nobel Prize winner Eric Kandel sees promise in a new strain of genetics and psychotherapy, if not new drugs, for psychiatric illnesses.

Managing Conflicting Interests in Medical Journal Publishing

Managing Conflicting Interests in Medical Journal Publishing

by Adam F. Stewart, S. Claiborne Johnston, M.D., Ph.D., and Stephen L. Hauser, M.D.

Cerebrum

The editors of a top neuroscience journal explain the unique challenges they face as they attempt to balance the interests of authors, peer reviewers, the journal itself and its readers.

Do No Harm
New Book from Dana Press

Do No Harm

Q&A with Paul McHugh, Author of “Try to Remember”

Paul McHugh outlines his leading role in fighting—and eventually winning against—the recovered memory movement in the 1990s in his new Dana Press book. But as he points out in this Q&A, psychiatry is beginning to repeat its mistakes, and both the public and the medical community should take heed of why things went so badly awry 15 years ago.

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Podcast

Dozy Drosophila

Nature NeuroPod

Nature reporter Kerri Smith asks why we use fruit flies to study sleep, explores what happens at a “brain bank” and outlines some of the year’s neuroscience highlights in this month's NeuroPod, produced in association with the Dana Foundation.

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Neuroethics

Scientists: Drugs to Boost Brain Power Should Be Legal for Wider Use

by Malcolm Ritter

Associated Press

An opinion piece in the journal Nature has caused quite a stir by arguing in favor of legalizing cognition-enhancing drugs for healthy brains. [off-site link]

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Blog

H.M.'s Memorable Contributions to Neuroscience

One of the most famous memory patients in science, known as "H.M.," has died. A researcher who worked with Henry Gustav Molaison  for decades spoke about his case and her experiences at the Society for Neuroscience meeting last month. 

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Working Later in Life Might Keep Your Brain Healthy

Working Later in Life Might Keep Your Brain Healthy

by Denise C. Park, Ph.D.

Cerebrum

Evidence indicates that by continuing to perform difficult tasks and engage in new pursuits, the brain remains flexible over time—good not only for the individual but also for society. Denise C. Park theorizes that exercising the brain causes “scaffolding,” which creates new circuits to support pre-existing pathways.

Arts Chairman Leaves a Proud Legacy in His Wake
Column

Arts Chairman Leaves a Proud Legacy in His Wake

by Janet Eilber

Arts Education in the News

Dana Gioia has helped to shape arts appreciation in this country over the past several years.

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Research Offers Hope for Headache Sufferers
Column

Research Offers Hope for Headache Sufferers

by Guy McKhann, M.D.

Brain in the News

A new experimental drug could bring relief to people who suffer from migraines.

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"Brain Fitness" at Work
Partner site

"Brain Fitness" at Work

We've all seen the news: We can affect how our brains work.  Neuroscience tells us that we can increase our chances of maintaining our mental edge and functional independence throughout our lives. How? By working to keep our brains fit the way we work to keep our bodies healthy. This validated guide, available via The Conference Board's Web site, explains how.

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Learning, Arts, and the Brain
Research

Learning, Arts, and the Brain

Dana Consortium studies find strong links

For the first time, coordinated, multi-university scientific research brings us closer to answering the question: Are smart people drawn to the arts or does arts training make people smarter?

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Beatles' Magical Memory Tour
Brain Research

Beatles' Magical Memory Tour

Be part of an online study using people's recollections of the Beatles to discover the link between music and memory. Participants can input their own memories about the Beatles and explore other people’s memories, finding out which albums evoke the most memories; which songs evoke positive or negative memories; and which news events are most vividly remembered. The study, launched by the British Association of the Advancement of Science, is also supported by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives.


Book Releases
Cerebrum 2008: Emerging Ideas in Brain Science

Cerebrum 2008: Emerging Ideas in Brain Science

In this second annual anthology, top scientists and scholars interpret the latest discoveries about the human brain and confront their implications for fields from architecture to ethics, music to health care policy. Foreword by Carl Zimmer.

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Your Brain on Cubs

Your Brain on Cubs

Inside the Heads of Players and Fans

Edited by Dan Gordon

A group of today’s leading science writers and neuroscientists explore here the ways that our brain functions when we participate in sports as fans, athletes, and coaches, taking baseball as the quintessential sport for all three perspectives.

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Best of the Brain from Scientific American

Best of the Brain from Scientific American

Mind, Matter, and Tomorrow's Brain

by Floyd E. Bloom, M.D.

Top neuroscientist Floyd E. Bloom has selected the most fascinating brain-related articles from Scientific American and Scientific American Mind since 1999 in this collection. Divided into three sections—Mind, Matter, and Tomorrow’s Brain—this compilation takes you to the latest information from the front lines of brain research.

Audiobooks Now Available

Audiobooks Now Available

The Creating Brain, The Ethical Brain, Your Brain on Cubs and Best of the Brain from Scientific American are available now as audiobooks at Audible or iTunes.


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Events

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Dec 3, 2008

Try To Remember

Kay Redfield Jamison, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and J. Raymond DePaulo, Jr., M.D., Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (far right) join Paul R. McHugh, M.D. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, to discuss McHugh's new book, Try to Remember: Psychiatry's Clash over Meaning, Memory, and Mind. William Safire (left), chairman of the Dana Foundation served as moderator.

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Upcoming Grant Deadlines

Apr 01, 2009

Neuroimmunology 2009
All Grant Deadlines »