Chronic Health Issues

Oct 01, 2006

Although the rate of disability among older adults is dropping, half of all Americans live with at least one chronic health problem. For more than one third of Americans, chronic (long-lasting or recurring) illness takes the form of a brain disorder most often caused by stroke, head injury or degeneration of brain cells. Understanding the "what, when, why, and how" of your illness can help you manage your symptoms, make appropriate life adjustments and regain control of your life.

Depression

Oct 01, 2006

Many people mistakenly believe that depression is normal for older people and that little can be done about it. Depression may be more common among older people, but it is not an inevitable part of aging. Depression is a serious medical disorder with biological causes that can be treated effectively in most people. Find out more about depression as we age and what can be done.

Learning Throughout Life

Oct 01, 2006

The human brain is a learning machine. But do we learn the same no matter our age? Recent advances in brain research offer good news for anyone interested in maintaining brain health for a lifetime of learning. Learning Through Life provides you with important information to help you rev up your brain for learning.

The Importance of Clinical Trials

Mar 16, 2009

Clinical Trials have long been a part of the history of medical research. While testing new drugs or devices, investigators enlist patients with fixed characteristics, dispense treatments and assemble data for a set period of time. The results can be crucial for the advancement of medical knowledge. Dr. Reisa Sperling knows that well. She’s the Director of Clinical Research in the Memory Disorders Unit at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Director of the Neuroimaging program at the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. In this podcast, she talks about her own research and the importance of clinical trials and the patients who so generously participate in them.
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Neuroethics and Deep Brain Stimulation

Feb 01, 2009

While Research in brain science holds exciting prospects for the treatment of disease, our increasing ability to manipulate the brain poses grave questions both for scientists and for society at large. An emerging field called Neuroethics is connected with a broad array of issues that ask where do we draw the line on manipulating brain function? In this podcast, Dr. Judy Illes, Canada Research Chair in Neuroethics and Professor of Neurology at the University of British Columbia, offers some background on the neural maze of science and ethics.
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Healthy Aging with Eric Kandel, M.D (Part 1)

Dec 01, 2008

Welcome to a podcast series from the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives which presents the research and life stories of three prominent neuroscientists. In this podcast, we feature Dr. Eric Kandel who has spent his life studying learning and memory. In the year 2000, Dr. Kandel won the Nobel Prize for his research on how short and long term memories are created and stored. Dr. Kandel's most recent book, In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a new Science of Mind tells his life story as well as breakthroughs in our knowledge of learning and memory.
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