Cerebrum : the Dana forum on brain science最新文献

Autism is a broad, complex, and increasingly important brain disorder. New data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that one in sixty-eight children is born with some degree of autism. Autism is also more common in males by a four to one ratio. Making it especially difficult to discuss in finite, conclusive terms is the fact that there is no biological test for autism; diagnosis is based on behavior, and the only verified treatment is intensive behavior therapy. Our author, one of the nation's foremost researchers on autism, examines the prenatal factors that contribute to the disorder.

Pain is unique to every person, and difficult to quantify and treat. Whether it is delivered as a jolt or a persistent, dull ache, pain is guaranteed to affect one's quality of life. Our author examines how brain imaging is opening our eyes to the richness and complexity of the pain experience, giving us extraordinary insight into the neurochemistry, network activity, wiring, and structures relevant to producing and modulating painful experiences in all their various guises.

Compared to the money dedicated to cancer and cardiology, funding for neuroscience research has lagged behind for decades. But things are starting to change. From the White House's Brain Initiative to the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS to some recent sizeable gifts to universities, money for brain research appears to be on the rise. But, as our author explains, research and development funding from private and corporate lenders for cognitive neuroscience-an area that he has spent years tracking-is also vital to the quality of life for millions of people.

About one-third of the 65 million people worldwide affected by epilepsy are treatment-resistant, and the degree to which they suffer from seizures and convulsions can vary widely. Problems occur when nerve cells in the brain fail to communicate properly. A new study has found that inhibiting an enzyme that is critical in metabolic communication has an anti-seizure effect in epileptic mice. These findings, the authors believe, may very well initiate a shift to new therapeutic approaches.

Since the start of the new millennium, a method called two-photon microscopy has allowed scientists to peer farther into the brain than ever before. Our author, one of the pioneers in the development of this new technology, writes that "directly observing the dynamics of neural networks in an intact brain has become one of the holy grails of brain research." His article describes the advances that led to this remarkable breakthrough-one that is helping neuroscientists better understand neural networks.

With legal cannabis sales at $5.4 billion in 2015 and expected to rise by another billion this year in the United States, legalization and marijuana's impact on health is a hot topic of national debate. Casarett, a physician at the University of Pennsylvania, immerses himself in the culture, science, and smoke of medical marijuana in order to sort out the truth behind the buzz. Our reviewer, who has authored more than 120 research papers and reviews on the regulation of synaptic inhibition and endocannabinoids, tell us what the author got right, but also overlooked on his journey to learn more about a complex and controversial subject.

When most people hear the words malignant and brain, cancer immediately comes to mind. But our authors argue that proteins can be malignant too, and can spread harmfully through the brain in neurodegenerative diseases that include Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, CTE, and ALS. Studying how proteins such as PrP, amyloid beta, tau, and others aggregate and spread, and kill brain cells, represents a crucial new frontier in neuroscience.

From trauma to amnesia to senior moments, memory has been a major plot line in films since the 1942 classic, Random Harvest. John Seamon, an author and professor of psychology whose research includes how a camera aids memory and the impact of storytelling on memory, has shifted his lens to focus on how memory has been portrayed in one of the world's most beloved art forms.

Lithium, an element that Mother Nature has put in some drinking water sources, has been used for its curative powers for centuries. Today, it's given in capsule form as a mood stabilizer for bipolar disorder and depression. New research, however, reveals its role as a neuroprotector, and suggests that a better understanding of the role enzymes modulated by lithium play could lead to new treatments for Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and other neurodegenerative disorders.

Our author writes that recent data from the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime indicate that 540 different drugs classified as new psychoactive substances (NPS) have been identified worldwide as of 2014, and this number is expected to rise. His article describes the complexity of the NPS problem, what is known about the molecular mechanisms of action, and the pharmacological effects of NPS. It also highlights some of the considerable challenges in dealing with this emerging issue.