News

Alzheimer’s Conference Offers Cautious Hope for New Treatments

by Aalok Mehta

Despite some high-profile setbacks, promising results from preliminary clinical trials have left Alzheimer’s researchers optimistic about new treatments down the road.

News

Computational Models Reveal New Insights in Neuroscience

by Kayt Sukel

To help sort through vast amounts of data and broach disciplinary boundaries, neurologists are increasingly turning to simulated neural networks, which have already helped to map the inner wiring of the brain and unravel how it processes language.

Successful Aging: What The Oldest Olds Can Teach Us
Researcher Q&A

Successful Aging: What The Oldest Olds Can Teach Us

Claudia H. Kawas, M.D., discusses the latest research in the 90+ Study—a look at the health status and lifestyle characteristics of the elderly. Part of our  2008 Advances in Brain Research, an annual Web publication that highlights cutting-edge brain research through discussions with leading neuroscientists.

Podcast

An Interview with William Safire and FENS Highlights

Nature NeuroPod

Nature reporter Kerri Smith explores research into the “orchestra-like” electrical harmony of the brain, chats with Dana Foundation Chairman William Safire about what’s so exciting about neuroscience and investigates some of the scientific and artistic highlights of the recent Federation of European Neuroscience Societies meeting in this month's NeuroPod, produced in association with the Dana Foundation.

See also

News

Mystery Protein May Be Key in ALS

by Jim Schnabel

The race is on to create mice with mutant genes for TDP-43, a protein some researchers suspect abnormally clumps in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in a fashion similar to amyloid clusters in Alzheimer’s.

Tomatoes, Mom and Memories

Dana Press Blog

Research into a tomato-based vaccine for Alzheimer’s prompts recollections of a family’s passion for fresh produce, plus a new “atlas” pinpoints spinal cord gene expression in mice.

Understanding Aging and Creativity in the Brain
Column

Understanding Aging and Creativity in the Brain

by Guy McKhann, M.D.

Brain in the News

A study finds that the brain of a woman who died at age 115 was healthy, granting insight into the aging brain. Also, research involving jazz musicians sheds light on creativity.

See also

Cognitive Enhancement: A Crutch to Cope with Less Sleep?

Cognitive Enhancement: A Crutch to Cope with Less Sleep?

BrainWork

As spare time becomes increasingly rare, people may be taking “memory-enhancing” drugs as a substitute for sleep. Though drugs may mask the side effects of sleep deprivation, scientists fear repercussions in cognitive function, memory formation and immune system response.

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. 

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.

See also

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.

See also

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.

See also

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.

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?

See also

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.

See also

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.

See also

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)

See also


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.

See also

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.

See also

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.

See also

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.

See also


and
or search by keyword:

Events

This video player requires you have JavaScript enabled and the Flash 8 or higher plug-in installed.

May 27, 2008

Speaking of Science: The Teen Brain

Jay N. Giedd, M.D., National Institute of Mental Health, discussing The Teen Brain at the Dana Center. Other panelists were Kay Redfield Jamison, Ph.D., The Johns Hopkins University, 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.

All Events »