by Kayt SukelThe idea of critical periods in brain development was born from classic research on the visual cortex. Now scientists have found that proteins governing synapses in the visual system change at various stages of our lives, not just in our earliest years.
by Paul W. Glimcher, Ph.D.
In the
past few decades, neuroscientists have made strides towards understanding where
in the brain subjective value is represented and steps towards understanding
how it is constructed. One in our series of Reports on Progress.
by Guy McKhann, M.D.
The sensitivity of migraineurs to bright light has been known for many years, but studies of how that sensitivity might work have been lacking until a few years ago. Our monthly column, by Guy McKhann, M.D., in Brain in the News.
by Carl Sherman“The brain doesn’t
want to be demented,” researcher David Bennett says, “and it has means to
protect itself.” He and other scientists are starting to find clues to genetic
factors in the biology of resilience.
by Moheb Costandi
Drugs
that enhance cognition might benefit people who have cognitive troubles due to
depression or schizophrenia, said researcher Barbara Sahakian, FMedSci, DSc, in a recent
lecture at University College London. While there are suggestions that
modafinil could improve cognitive performance in high-risk sleep-deprived
people, it is less clear whether any benefit would outweigh risks and side
effects for people in the normal course of life.
Brenda Patoine
Sameer Sheth's discovery of conflict-sensitive cells in the
cortex helps shed light on the neural circuitry of cognitive control. One of
our series of Scientist Q&As.
