News

Genetic Study Gives New Insight into Schizophrenia

by Kayt Sukel

A recent study suggests that random errors in the genome, many of them targeting glutamate pathways, may contribute to schizophrenia.

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Deep Brain Stimulation Offers Hope in Depression

Deep Brain Stimulation Offers Hope in Depression

by Jamie Talan

Cerebrum

There is a new hope for patients who have severe depression. An experimental surgical procedure, deep brain stimulation, is proving to reverse the effects of unrelenting depression by stimulating a precise network of brain cells. Jamie Talan reveals how some of the top scientists are using this procedure. 

News

Another Alzheimer’s Drug Fails in Large-Scale Trials

by Jim Schnabel

The makers of Flurizan say the experimental drug failed to show a significant benefit in a trial in about 1,700 people with Alzheimer's disease. The results were among the most eagerly awaited of all clinical trial results for Alzheimer’s drugs this year.

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Podcast

Can We Think Without Language?

Nature NeuroPod

Nature reporter Kerri Smith investigates how uninherited mutations are insuring the survival of schizophrenia, discovers how thinning in the cortex could help diagnose Tourette syndrome, finds out how mice are being used to understand the genes that control speech, and hears what language can tell us about human nature in this month's NeuroPod, produced in association with the Dana Foundation.

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Genetic Discoveries Yield Clues to Parkinson’s Genesis, Treatment Possibilities
Researcher Q&A

Genetic Discoveries Yield Clues to Parkinson’s Genesis, Treatment Possibilities

Mark R. Cookson, Ph.D., discusses the latest research on the role of genetics and Parkinson’s disease, and a class of proteins collectively known as kinases. Part of our  2008 Advances in Brain Research, an annual Web publication that highlights cutting-edge brain research through discussions with leading neuroscientists.

From Two Complex Systems, a Unity Emerges
Column

From Two Complex Systems, a Unity Emerges

by Ralph Steinman, M.D.

Immunology in the News

Several areas of research are currently converging at the intersection of neuroscience and immunology, reports columnist Ralph Steinman. Our "in the News" pages feature new links weekly to stories our advisors recommend from around the Web.

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Brain Tumors: The Latest Research
News Follow-up

Brain Tumors: The Latest Research

by Don Long, M.D., Ph.D.

Johns Hopkins neuroscientist Don Long and colleagues review the state of treatment for gliomas, including the type Sen. Ted Kennedy was diagnosed with. While standard therapies offer some help, those on the way or in testing now hold greater promise.

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Dana Alliance Neuroscientists Awarded First Kavli Prize

Three Dana Alliance members have been awarded the first Kavli Prize in Neuroscience. Thomas M. Jessell of Columbia University, Pasko Rakic of Yale University and Sten Grillner of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden were cited for their pioneering work on neuronal circuits.

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D.C.-Area Brain Bee Winner Takes International Prize

D.C.-Area Brain Bee Winner Takes International Prize

Elena Perry, a sophomore at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, Md., began displaying her neuroscience knowhow at the Washington, D.C.-area Brain Bee in February and finished by winning the top prize at the International Brain Bee in Montreal in May.

News

Natural Neuroprotection

by Jim Schnabel

While researchers still seek cures, recent epidemiological studies suggest that preventives of such diseases as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's already may be at hand—and very familiar. Differences in diet and behavior that are good for us in other ways also are associated with big reductions in risk for developing serious brain diseases.

Learning, Arts, and the Brain
New 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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George Will Riffs on Cubs Book

George Will Riffs on Cubs Book

The Newsweek columnist uses examples from Your Brain on Cubs to explain the “neurological affliction” of rooting for a team with a history of letdowns. Also, Steve Mirsky of Scientific American talked with editor Dan Gordon about the book recently, as did Ira Flatow on National Public Radio's Science Friday show. Visit the book page for more links to interviews and news coverage.

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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.

"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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Podcasts

The Brain-Injured Soldier

A two-part podcast about the connection and intersection of brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder in U.S. veterans of the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Part of our podcasts section.

Arts Education: Spelling Out What Works
New Publication - AVAILABLE FREE

Arts Education: Spelling Out What Works

Edited By Barbara Rich, Ed.D., and Jane L. Polin

This new book examines innovations in arts-teacher training and features the best practices at 24 higher-education institutions. Also included are proceedings from Dana’s 2007 national symposium on how colleges, universities and conservatories can enhance arts learning. (Free pdf version)

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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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The 2008 Progress Report on Brain Research
Free Publication - Online

The 2008 Progress Report on Brain Research

Describes the top findings in brain research during 2007 affecting areas such as disorders of development, aging, and movement, as well as mental and thought disorders. This year’s report includes a special essay on deep brain stimulation by prominent neuroscientists Mahlon R. DeLong and Thomas Wichmann.

Wired for Goodness

Wired for Goodness

by Donald W. Pfaff, Ph.D.

A distinguished neuroscientist gives us a science-based hypothesis of why humans across time and geography have such similar notions of right and wrong.

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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.

Defining Right and Wrong in Brain Science

Defining Right and Wrong in Brain Science

Essential Readings in Neuroethics

by Walter Glannon, Ph.D.

The fifth volume in The Dana Foundation Series on Neuroethics, this collection provides readers with the seminal writings on past, present and future ethical issues facing neuroscience and society.

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Events

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May 27, 2008

Speaking of Science: The Teen Brain

Kay Redfield Jamison, Ph.D., The Johns Hopkins University, discussing The Teen Brain at the Dana Center. Other panelists were Jay N. Giedd, M.D., National Institute of Mental Health and Stephen A. Maistro, Ph.D., Syracuse University. The Teen Brain is part of the Speaking of Science Series, co-sponsored by the Dana Foundation and Syracuse University.

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