Recommended reading from around the Web

Column

Toxic Proteins Spark Many Diseases

Toxic Proteins Spark Many Diseases
by Guy McKhann, M.D.

Brain in the News | September 2008

In a large number of brain disorders, from Parkinson's disease to ALS to Alzheimer's disease, misfolded proteins cause neurons to go awry.

Column

Brain on the Web

August 2008

This month’s links include blogs from the British Research Society, a clinical neurologist and a law professor.

Immune Cell Plays Good Cop, Bad Cop

by Tina Hesman Saey

Science News | October 11, 2008

Two new studies about macrophages show that these immune cells can heal or harm damaged neurons, depending on the situation.

Brain Banks: Crucial for Research, Clamoring for Donors

by Gloria Troyer

CBC News | September 22, 2008

Brains are an underserved organs when compared to the number of lungs, kidneys and hearts donated each year. However, the need for brains in the research community is growing.

When Healing Hurts

by Sydney Spiesel

Slate | September 17, 2008

Two of every 10 people who spend time in an intensive care unit while ill or injured develop post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a new study.

Could Inner Zombies Be Controlling Your Brain?

by Carl Zimmer

Discover magazine | September 16, 2008

Much of what we think and do may be controlled by the unconscious part of our brain. Are we all, in a sense, zombies? Or is there a meaningful sense in which we have “free will”?

Nerves Tangle, and Back Pain Becomes a Toothache

by Kate Murphy

The New York Times | September 15, 2008

The body can fool you when it comes to determining pathology, according to doctors who are sometimes baffled by symptoms that don’t align predictably to their ailments.

Speaking Without Sound

by Tia Ghose

ScienceNOW Daily News | September 15, 2008

A robot helps scientists understand how people who go deaf as adults maintain their ability to chat intelligibly.

Tourette Girl Undergoes Breakthrough Operation

The Age (Australia) | September 15, 2008

Deep brain stimulation surgery has turned around the life of a 16-year-old girl with Tourette’s syndrome. It is the first recorded use of DBS to treat the rare disorder.

Using Imaging to Look at Changes in the Brain

by Claudia Dreifus

The New York Times | September 15, 2008

Nancy C. Andreasen wields brain scanning tools the way artists wield paint. She has spent decades looking at issues of creativity and disease through the lens of magnetic resonance imaging.