News

Turning Down the Aging ‘Rheostat’ in Mice

by Jim Schnabel

Researchers find that manipulating a region in the hypothalamus dramatically extended the lifespan of mice. Might such a tweak extend life and health in humans, too?

Empathy: What’s in it to Feel Others’ Pain?
Q&A

Empathy: What’s in it to Feel Others’ Pain?

by Robin Stevens Payes

A Q&A with researcher Abigail Marsh on how developing empathy shapes emotional health, impacts violence and may be changing our views on crime and punishment.

News

Debating Insulin’s Role in Alzheimer’s

by Carl Sherman

There are many possible reasons why so many people who have Alzheimer’s also show increased insulin resistance. If researchers could tease out the mechanism, they might find that a current drug or treatment for diabetes would work on dementia, as well.

Inside the Letterbox: How Literacy Transforms the Human Brain
Cerebrum

Inside the Letterbox: How Literacy Transforms the Human Brain

by Stanislas Dehaene

Cerebrum

Few issues are as important to the future of humanity as acquiring literacy. Brain-scanning technology and cognitive tests on a variety of subjects by one of the world’s foremost cognitive neuroscientists has led to a better understanding of how a region of the brain responds to visual stimuli. The results could profoundly affect learning and help individuals with reading disabilities.

News

Stimulating the Brain: From If to How

by Carl Sherman

Some people with Parkinson’s disease or intractible depression have shown great improvement using implanted and external brain stimulation. Now researchers are diving down, to improve treatment methods and to discover what, exactly, stimulating the brain does

Thinking About Moving
Column

Thinking About Moving

by Guy McKhann, M.D.

Brain in the News

Given the advances in mind-controlled prostheses over the last five years, the future of the field is exciting.

See also

Briefing Paper

The How of Tau

by Jim Schnabel

The debate over whether tau’s corruption is a cause or effect of the Alzheimer’s disease process is now all but over. In fact, its corruption seems to be a driver of disease not only in Alzheimer’s, but in more than half a dozen other tau-linked maladies. One of our series of briefing papers.

Seeking nominations

Nominations Open for 2014 Brain Prize

The Grete Lundbeck European Brain Research Foundation’s call for nominations for the 2014 € 1 million Brain Prize is now open until September 15, 2013.  The prize recognizes highly original advances in research on the nervous system. In 2083, the Prize was awarded to six scientists for their work in optogenetics. For the nomination form and details of the nomination procedure, please go to www.TheBrainPrize.Org 

Report on Progress

Artificial Sight

Restoration of Sight through Use of Argus II, a Bioelectronic Retinal Implant

by Mark S. Humayun, M.D., Ph.D.

The development of retinal prostheses to gen­erate artificial vision for blind people is a complex, long-term, expensive, and interdisciplinary undertak­ing. The FDA has approved the first such device and here's how it works. One of our series of Reports on Progress.

Upcoming Neuroscience Events

Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy: New basic science and clinical findings relevant to the pathogenesis, mitigation, cure, and risk stratification of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy will support a discussion of current challenges and future directions for PML treatment – June 19-20 in NYC.

Dr. Oliver Sacks in Conversation with Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison: Have you ever seen something that wasn’t really there? Sensed someone following you and turned around to find nothing? Oliver Sacks discusses his book Hallucinations with Dana Alliance member Kay Redfield Jamison – July 17 in DC.

Portland International Neuroscience Symposium: Join top neuroscience physicians and scientists from around the world at the Inaugural Portland International Neuroscience Symposium. OHSU Brain Institute is pleased to offer this program, designed to address state-of-the-art clinical topics and related research important to neuroscience specialists – July 18-21 in Portland, Oregon.

Accelerating Translational Neurotechnology: Fourth Annual Aspen Brain Forum: Explore innovative models for advancing the translation of novel neurotechnologies, such as neurostimulation, brain-computer interfaces, and neuron replacement therapies, into diagnostic tools and treatments for neurological and psychiatric disease – September 18–20 in Aspen, CO.
NIH National Research Study Recruitment Registry 

The user-friendly site ResearchMatch.org connects people who want to participate in clinical trials with researchers conducting studies in an array of diseases.

The NIH also sponsors the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study, which seeks volunteers having the very earliest complaints of memory problems that affect their daily activities. See a list of locations and how to contact the researchers.  

The Alzheimer's Association hosts a more-general  Find a Clinical Trial page for patients, healthy volunteers, doctors, and others.


Rolling Grant Submission

Clinical Neuroscience Research