Feed your brain with the latest findings in neuroscience research.

Imaging Reveals Alzheimer’s Clues both Before and After Disease Develops
Summer 2009

Imaging Reveals Alzheimer’s Clues both Before and After Disease Develops

by Carl Sherman

Signs of Alzheimer’s may be detectable years before symptoms emerge. New brain imaging techniques and other approaches are giving scientists new insight into disease risk and may one day help them start treatment earlier and develop better methods.

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Summer 2009

Safer than Marijuana, a Natural Chemical Strengthens Memories

by Elizabeth Norton Lasley

A chemical in the amygdala that stimulates the same receptors as marijuana, but more safely, is involved in shoring up highly emotional memories, evidence shows.

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Summer 2009

‘Neuroeducation’ Emerges as Insights into Brain Development, Learning Abilities Grow

by Aalok Mehta

As scientists learn more about how the brain grows and learns, universities are developing programs to translate those insights into practical classroom strategies.

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Brain Training May Help Stroke Victims Recover Vision
Summer 2009

Brain Training May Help Stroke Victims Recover Vision

by Tom Valeo

A form of visual therapy that employs computer exercises may help restore some vision to patients who lost sight as a result of stroke. Some researchers are skeptical that the patients were truly blind, however.

News from the frontier

REM sleep stimulates creativity 

Active brain and body help maintain cognitive function 

Synchronized brain waves focus attention 

Animal model gives insight into antidepressants 

Effects of Hormone Therapy May Hinge on Timing, Genes
Spring 2009

Effects of Hormone Therapy May Hinge on Timing, Genes

by Sandra A. Swanson

Experts remain divided on the merits of hormone treatment for menopausal women. New evidence lends support to the idea that timing, genetics and the existence of different estrogen receptors in the brain contribute to the effects of estrogen on memory, mood and cognition.

ADHD Studies Target Circuitry, Stimulants' Effects
Spring 2009

ADHD Studies Target Circuitry, Stimulants' Effects

by Brenda Patoine

Past studies of psychostimulant drugs taken for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder have shown a slowing of cortical growth, but new imaging research reveals that the drugs may normalize development. Researchers still urge caution, however.

Spring 2009

Controlling Blood Glucose May Fend Off Cognitive Decline

by Tom Valeo

Elevated blood glucose levels negatively affect a subregion of the hippocampus responsible for forming memories, according to new research. The finding may help explain memory impairment as we age and in people with diabetes. Other studies are looking at whether medications help absorb glucose and improve memory.

Stock Market Success May Stem from Prenatal Hormone Levels
Spring 2009

Stock Market Success May Stem from Prenatal Hormone Levels

by Scott P. Edwards

Testosterone levels before birth affect financial traders’ success, perhaps by enhancing risk taking, a recent study suggests. The clue lies in the length of traders’ ring fingers relative to their index fingers—longer ring fingers indicate greater testosterone exposure in the womb, and traders with this characteristic made more money than others, on average.

News from the Frontier

Brain response to vision-loss disorder may be swift. 

Break in circadian rhythm may lead to disease. 

Fine-tuning mechanism may hold key to Alzheimer’s disease. 

New mechanism for memory consolidation in sleep. 

A Slew of Studies Provides Addiction Insight
January/February 2009

A Slew of Studies Provides Addiction Insight

by Jim Schnabel

Addiction doesn’t just affect people’s pleasure centers; it may also short-circuit brain areas responsible for self-awareness and for restraining impulsive behavior, suggests new research looking into why the disease is so difficult to treat.

Researchers Begin to Decode Decision-making Processes
January/February 2009

Researchers Begin to Decode Decision-making Processes

by Tom Valeo

New studies suggest that the brain engages in “probabilistic reasoning” similar to the method the Allies used to crack Nazi Germany’s codes—but that sleep deprivation compromises our ability to assess the future.

New Techniques Link Brain with Machine
January/February 2009

New Techniques Link Brain with Machine

by Ben Mauk

Recent advances in “brain-computer interfaces” include a technique that can distinguish individual finger movements.

Lie Detection Services Remain Premature, Neuroethicists Say
January/February 2009

Lie Detection Services Remain Premature, Neuroethicists Say

by Aalok Mehta

Neuroscience-based methods of lie detection already may have passed the test of public acceptance, but whether they work is still an open question in the scientific community. The growing disparity between public and scientific understanding of “forensic neuroscience” was one of several pressing issues that brought nearly 200 people to Washington, D.C., for the annual meeting of the Neuroethics Society.

Neurobiology Affects Love and Attraction
January/February 2009

Neurobiology Affects Love and Attraction

by Kathlyn Stone

Scientists have found that long-term love appears to leave a distinct signature in the brain and that a specific gene affects courtship behavior—at least in mice.

Dancing Begins with a Cognitive Act for Professionals and Parkinson’s Patients
January/February 2009

Dancing Begins with a Cognitive Act for Professionals and Parkinson’s Patients

by Ben Mauk

The challenges of movement reward the minds of dancers both professional and amateur—and, in eight programs across the nation, of people with Parkinson’s disease.

Insights Reveal that Itch Is More Than Skin Deep
January/February 2009

Insights Reveal that Itch Is More Than Skin Deep

by Aalok Mehta

An extraordinarily itchy tropical plant has provided new insights into what causes various types of itch, how the sensation is transmitted to the brain and how to better treat this common and vexing medical problem.

News from the Frontier

Environment influences gene expression

New scanning technique diagnoses hard-to-detect brain injuries

Temporary insomnia may lead to learning troubles

Receptors, growth factor may keep astrocytes in line 

Dyslexia Studies Catch Neuroplasticity at Work
November/December 2008

Dyslexia Studies Catch Neuroplasticity at Work

by Tom Valeo

Studies that help scientists identify the parts of the brain that grow stronger as dyslexic children learn to read open a window into how the brain rewires itself.

Brain Responds Quickly to Faces
November/December 2008

Brain Responds Quickly to Faces

by Kayt Sukel

Humans need only a few milliseconds to judge a facial expression and decide whether to trust another person or not. Recent studies shed light on how we make that judgment, as well how context can influence our response.

'Exercise in a Pill' Has Cognitive Implications
November/December 2008

'Exercise in a Pill' Has Cognitive Implications

by Sandra A. Swanson

The ideas behind a new 'exercise pill' might benefit not only those hoping to shed pounds, but also those suffering from Alzheimer's and other cognitive problems.

Intuition, Memory Help Us Keep Track of Numbers
November/December 2008

Intuition, Memory Help Us Keep Track of Numbers

by Scott P. Edwards

While some people seem to be endowed with a special ability to remember numbers, researchers suggest that we all have an innate “numbers sense”—and that memorization skills may boil down to repetition.

News from the Frontier

Nerve stimulation therapy may treat chronic headache

Being internet savvy may have cognitive benefits

Pathway to obesity found

Learning to overcome fear acts as antidepressant in mice 

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May/June 2008

Use of Deep Brain Stimulation Widens

by Tom Valeo

Already approved for Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders, deep brain stimulation is being tested in many other areas, including depression. Meanwhile, a recent incident of déjà vu sparks intrigue.