Decoding the Canine Mind

By Gregory Berns, M.D., Ph.D.

Curious about a dog’s perception of the world and how a pooch’s brain works? Gregory S. Berns uses brain scanning and other strategies to find answers.

Jump-Starting Evolution

By Lee Alan Dugatkin, Ph.D.

Three years after a best-selling book, a co-author explains how the silver fox-domestication experiment continues to help us better understand genetics and evolution.

Neurosteroids: A Major Step Forward

Research that began three-quarters of a century ago has led to one of the first new drugs to treat depression in 60 years—and the potential to treat much more.

Tracking the Neural Footprints of Consciousness

Two leading theories that are diametrically opposed are part of a new $20 million international research program to explore how consciousness arises and correlates in the brain.

Troubling Regulatory Standards

Our neuroethics columnist addresses a concerning new trend of reporting brain research results through the popular media rather than in peer reviewed journals.

Testing Neurofeedback as a Treatment for Tourette’s

Dana grantee Michelle Hampson, Ph.D., describes how neurofeedback may be a good alternative treatment for tics and the challenges of developing the right training paradigms.

Finding New Ways to Connect in a Crisis

While many of us are sheltering in place, maintaining mood and friendships is more important than ever. We talk with Dana Alliance member Myrna Weissman, Ph.D., on how best to cope during forced isolation.

Want to Boost Your Immune System? Sleep Better

We talk with Dana Alliance member Robert W. Greene, M.D., Ph.D., about how sleep can help us fight off viruses and other infections and how to get a better night’s rest.

Understanding the Mechanisms Underlying Vocal Learning: Q&A with Michael Yartsev, Ph.D.

Most mammals know from birth how to make sounds that communicate, but not humans. And not bats: Dana grantee Michael Yartsev has collected reams of data on how Egyptian fruit bats learn to make sounds to communicate as a way to understand how we do it.

How Do You Measure Moral Wounds of War?

The psychic legacy of war’s deep ethical disruptions—what has come to be called moral injury—has been a growing concern of those who seek to understand trauma.

Searching for Signs of Consciousness: Q&A with Jan Claassen, M.D.

Dana grantee Jan Claassen uses EEG to detect patterns of brain activity in people in coma who don’t physically respond to voice commands that suggest some may have “covert consciousness.”

How Does Exercise Affect the Brain?

Not only is exercise good for your muscles and bones, but it is also an important part of keeping your brain healthy.

Genetics

Nature and Nurture
A Dynamic Interplay

Brain basics fact sheet on genetics

Neuroanatomy: The Basics

The brain and nervous system are a network of many specialized parts.

Printable Puzzles

A series of fun and challenging puzzles that teach kids (and grownups) about the brain. Organized by grade and age level.

Resources for Educators

Links to downloadable materials including lesson plans with teacher’s guide, presentations, and handouts for students, as well as to other great brain-science resources

BrainWorks

Neuroscience prof Eric Chudler and a group of curious kids investigate the brain in these half-hour programs.