The magazine that can change your mind.

December 2008

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.

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.

December 2008

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.

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.

December 2008

Working Later in Life May Facilitate Neural Health

Working Later in Life May Facilitate Neural Health

by Denise C. Park, Ph.D.

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.

December 2008

Memoirs about Memory: Too Much vs. Too Little
Book Review

Memoirs about Memory: Too Much vs. Too Little

by Suzanne Corkin, Ph.D.

Afraid of losing your memory? What if you remembered everything? Suzanne Corkin, a behavioral neuroscientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, compares and critiques two recent memoirs by women who relate very differently with memory, adding insight from her own work.

November 2008

The Impact of Modern Neuroscience on Treatment of Parolees

The Impact of Modern Neuroscience on Treatment of Parolees

Ethical Considerations in Using Pharmacology to Prevent Addiction Relapse

by Richard J. Bonnie, J.D., Donna T. Chen, M.D., M.P.H., and Charles P. O'Brien, M.D., Ph.D.

Neuroscience is offering insights into addiction and providing scientists with pharmacological methods, such as the use of injectable naltrexone, for reducing relapse. Richard J. Bonnie, Donna T. Chen and Charles P. O’Brien consider the ethical and legal implications of different methods for administering naltrexone to convicted drug offenders.   

November 2008

The Meaning of Psychological Abnormality

The Meaning of Psychological Abnormality

by Jerome Kagan, Ph.D.

As reports of childhood behavioral problems increase, Dr. Jerome Kagan raises concern about the reliability of these diagnoses. The rapid rise may stem from children’s experiences and pressures on parents and physicians, he argues.

November 2008

Connectomics

Connectomics

Tracing the Wires of the Brain

by Sebastian Seung, Ph.D.

With the help of high-tech computers and electron microscopes, scientists are working toward mapping the connections of the human brain. Through descriptions of the where the technology is now and where it could go, Sebastian Seung illustrates how it might later be used to answer some of the most puzzling questions about the brain.

October 2008

A Wound Obscure, Yet Serious

A Wound Obscure, Yet Serious

Consequences of Unidentified Traumatic Brain Injury Are Often Severe

by Wayne Gordon, Ph.D.

Traumatic brain injury affects both soldiers and civilians of all ages, and many cases go unidentified because there is no external damage. Wayne Gordon considers the consequences of these severe injuries and how loved ones, teachers and medical professionals can better respond.

The Brain, from Atom to Soul
Book Review

The Brain, from Atom to Soul

by Lewis Rowland, M.D.

Lewis Rowland, a professor of neurology at Columbia University, writes that neurologist Adam Zeman's book about the brain from atoms to soul presents a succinct yet comprehensive literary tale.

September 2008

The Political Brain

The Political Brain

by Geoffrey K. Aguirre, M.D., Ph.D.

UCLA researchers recently used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to peer into the unconscious emotions of undecided voters. Some in the scientific community responded with alarm to what they saw as fanciful claims. Dr. Geoffrey Aguirre addresses the argument from all sides to determine the validity of the method. He says that pollsters aren't out of a job—yet.

September 2008

A Road Paved by Reason

A Road Paved by Reason

by Elizabeth Norton Lasley

With its emphasis on problem solving, cognitive therapy has helped generations of people with disorders such as depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder—and other applications may follow.

Mortal Coil
Book Review

Mortal Coil

by Mark Mattson, Ph.D.

August 25, 2008

In his review, Mark Mattson of the National Institute on Aging notes that the brain is mostly missing from David Haycock’s otherwise fascinating exploration of the history of trying to prolong life.

Human: The Science Behind What Makes Us Unique
Book Excerpt

Human: The Science Behind What Makes Us Unique

by Michael Gazzaniga

August 25, 2008

In his new book, Michael S. Gazzaniga looks at what it means to be human. In this excerpt from Chapter 3, he explores the evolutionary and social reasons for why we deceive one another—and ourselves.

Deep Brain Stimulation Offers Hope in Depression

Deep Brain Stimulation Offers Hope in Depression

by Jamie Talan

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. 

Your Brain and Heart Surgery

Your Brain and Heart Surgery

by Guy McKhann, M.D., and Brenda Patoine

Cognitive problems sometimes follow heart bypass surgery, but that does not mean the surgery is the cause. In fact, the same things that harm the heart before surgery may also be subtly harming the brain.

January 2008

Coming Apart: Trauma and the Fragmentation of the Self

Coming Apart: Trauma and the Fragmentation of the Self

by David Spiegel, M.D.

The controversial diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder (DID) has replaced what once was called "multiple personality disorder." David Spiegel, M.D., explains how new research supports the diagnosis and what may have gone wrong in patients' brains.

December 2007

"Go" and "NoGo"

"Go" and "NoGo"

Learning and the Basal Ganglia

by Michael J. Frank, Ph.D.

Many human behaviors are, in essence, reflexes programmed into our brains when we are rewarded or punished for taking a particular action. New research is showing how the basal ganglia, deep inside the brain, are important in learning from feedback, in the formation of good and bad habits, and even in brain disorders as diverse as Parkinson's disease, ADHD, and addiction.

December 2007

Seeking Insights into the Human Mind in Art and Science
BOOK REVIEW

Seeking Insights into the Human Mind in Art and Science

British neuroscientist Steven Rose reviews a new book exploring how artists such as Virginia Woolf, Paul Cezanne, and Igor Stravinsky discovered truths about the human mind that are now being confirmed by brain science.

November 2007

Harnessing the Brain's Power to Adapt After Injury

Harnessing the Brain's Power to Adapt After Injury

by Michael E. Selzer, M.D., Ph.D.

Whether a brain or spinal cord injury is caused by a weapon of war, an accident, or a disease such as stroke, rehabilitation focuses on enabling people to make the most of what functions they still have. For neurorehabilitation to offer the hope of curing the underlying brain damage, writes an expert in the field, it must look to basic science and better clinical trials to put to work the power of the brain’s plasticity. 

November 2007

My Insula Made Me Do It
BOOK EXCERPT

My Insula Made Me Do It

by Sandra Blakeslee and Matthew Blakeslee

Our bodies and minds interact through a constantly changing network of “body maps” in our brains. As described in Sandra and Matthew Blakeslee’s new book, The Body Has a Mind of Its Own, these maps create our ability to navigate our inner world and the social world of our interactions with other people, as well as the physical world.  In Chapter 10, excerpted here, the authors discuss how the abilities to interpret sensations within our bodies and to be emotionally aware of other people are linked.

Cerebrum 2008: Emerging Ideas in Brain Science
New Book from Dana Press

Cerebrum 2008: Emerging Ideas in Brain Science

Foreword by Carl Zimmer

"Cerebrum is excellent, exciting, and important food for the brain."

— Kay Redfield Jamison, Ph.D., author of Exuberance: The Passion for Life 

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