Recommended reading from around the Web

The Importance of the Correct Diagnosis

The Importance of the Correct Diagnosis
by Guy McKhann, M.D.

August 2010

The diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease are changing for the first time in 25 years.

Researchers Hope to Quell a Surge of Alzheimer's Cases with New Diagnostic Tools

by Aaron James

The Washington Post | August 24, 2010

With a potential epidemic on the horizon, researchers are looking for ways to detect and treat Alzheimer’s before it does its irreparable damage to the brain.

Making Brains: Reverse Engineering the Human Brain to Achieve AI

by George Dvorsky

Sentient Developments | August 22, 2010

Sorry, sci-fi fans. The kind of technology required for such a procedure is still years (decades, most likely) away.

What Happens to a Linebacker's Neurons?

by Carl Zimmer

Discover Magazine | August 18, 2010

The National Football League seems to finally be acting on what this report illustrates: the effects of repeated blows to the head are extremely serious.

Multiple Head Injuries May Spur ALS-Type Illness

by Kay Lazar

The Boston Globe | August 18, 2010

Researchers may have discovered a neurological disease similar to ALS that is likely to affect athletes and veterans.

Developmental Origins of Numerical Cognition

by Jason G. Goldman

Child's Play | August 16, 2010

A closer look at developmental dyscalculia, a lesser-known learning disorder that affects one’s arithmetic skills.

The Internet: Is It Changing the Way We Think?

by John Naughton

The Observer (U.K.) | August 15, 2010

Writers and experts offer their opinion on the effects of using the internet on our brains.

The Brain at Work

by Anita Slomski

Proto Magazine | Summer 2010

Through imaging techniques that measure gray matter, scientists are learning how, through extensive training, the brains of highly-skilled individuals are actually being remodeled.

Q&A: 'Delusions of Gender' Author Cordelia Fine

by Dan Vergano

USA Today | August 9, 2010

An interview with the author of a book claiming that “hard-wired” differences in the brain between men and women don’t exist.

Connecting Brains to the Outside World

by Claudia Dreifus

The New York Times | August 2, 2010

An interview with the man behind BrainGate, a machine that allows paralyzed people to move objects by using their minds.

Studies Target Amyloid Plaques and Tau Tangles

by Jill U Adams

Los Angeles Times | July 26, 2010

More researchers are targeting a protein called tau, along with plaques, is present in people who have Alzheimer’s disease.

The Brain: For Adolescents, a Scary Path to Full Development

by Jennifer Wells

The Toronto Star | July 24, 2010

An extensive look into the adolescent brain — a still-developing entity.

New Criteria for Alzheimer's Diagnosis Proposed

by Steven Reinberg

HealthDay | July 14, 2010

Two national organizations have proposed that more emphasis be placed on trying to identify the disease’s early stages.

Insects as Model Animals

by Claudia Dreifus

The New York Times | July 12, 2010

A Cambridge researcher talks about his work he does on the neurons of insects and why evolution might not always lead to bigger brains.

The Creativity Crisis

by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman

Newsweek | July 10, 2010

While IQ test scores continue to rise with each generation, creativity test scores have been on the decline in the U.S. for the past 20 years. What goes on in the brain that leads to creative thinking?

The Life of the Brain: Beginnings

by Megan Ogilvie

The Star (Canada) | July 9, 2010

Babies born months early provide doctors the rare opportunity to study fetal brain development.

UW Study Pinpoints Single Gene Crucial for Brain Development

by Mark Johnson

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinal | July 1, 2010

A new discovery sheds light on what distinguishes humans brains from those of other species.

BOOK FROM DANA PRESS

Cerebrum 2010: Emerging Ideas in Brain Science 

Cerebrum 2010 Cover
This fourth annual collection brings together the foremost experts in brain science. Jay Giedd, Michael Posner, Mariale Hardiman, David Kupfer and Paul McHugh present their research – and their take – on such cutting-edge topics as the development of the teen brain, how arts education affects intelligence, the limitations of brain imaging, and how to bring more certainty and flexibility to diagnosis in the next edition of the psychiatric bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).