Neurology 1187 articles archived since 1845

October 20, 2010 — Karl Deisseroth

Gene therapy helps depressed mice

Revving up expression of a single gene in the brain reverses depression symptoms

October 20, 2010

Neuroscience

Optogenetics: Controlling the Brain with Light [Extended Version]

In this web exclusive, the author offers a longer version of his December 2010 Scientific American article on how researchers can probe how the nervous system works in unprecedented detail, using a technique called optogenetics...

Adversity Is Linked to Life Satisfaction

A certain amount of negative life events is correlated with an overall sense of life satisfaction and happiness. Christie Nicholson reports

October 16, 2010

October 12, 2010 — Nikhil Swaminathan

Hormonal Help for Autism: A Dose of Oxytocin

Taking oxytocin boosts social skills in people with the asocial disorder

Deaf Cats Have Enhanced Vision

Recent research explains how the deaf can have extraordinary sight. Christie Nicholson reports

October 11, 2010

October 11, 2010 — Katherine Harmon

Ask the Experts: Can Exercise Counteract the Negative Effects of TVs and Computers on Some Kids?

Perpetually plugged-in youngsters are more likely to suffer poor psychological health. Although some experts recommend exercise to restore a sense of well-being, University of Bristol exercise researcher Angie Page says such extra activity may not balance the mental health equation...

October 9, 2010 — Ferris Jabr

Virtual Revulsion Therapy: Pixelated Pests Help Treat Cockroach Phobia

Psychologists have started testing augmented reality as an enhanced form of virtual reality therapy for specific phobias

October 6, 2010 — Ferris Jabr

Parkinsonian Power Failure: Neuron Degeneration May Be Caused by a Cellular Energy System Breakdown

A new meta-analysis reveals that Parkinson's disease is linked to key genetic deficits in mitochondrial function

October 5, 2010 — Katherine Harmon

A Surge in CT and MRI Scans Has Not Boosted Diagnosis Rates

The use of CT and MRIs on people with traumatic injuries jumped threefold in 10 years, leaving some concerned about the long-term effects of increased radiation exposure

Key ingredient staves off marijuana memory loss

Cannabis composition determines effects on the brain.

October 1, 2010

September 30, 2010 — Annie Murphy Paul

Permeable Boundaries: How Mothers' Meds Affect a Fetus

A new book explores the many ways in which common chemicals--and other outside influences--encountered in the womb can impact lifelong development

September 21, 2010 — Ferris Jabr

Me, Myself and My Stranger: Understanding the Neuroscience of Selfhood

New case studies focus on rare illusory body perceptions that could answer questions about how we maintain a "self"

September 16, 2010 — Katherine Harmon

Do You Know When You're Wrong? Gray Matter Shows Introspective Ability Is Not Black and White

Differences in people's ability to gauge their own accuracy may be linked to having more volume--and more connections--in the prefrontal cortex

Elderly with Cognitive Decline Offer Excellent, Hurtful Advice

Elderly people with loss of executive function--lessening of inhibitions--are more likely to offer useful, but tactless, advice. Christopher Intagliata reports

September 16, 2010

September 15, 2010 — Katherine Harmon

A 1996 Federal Budget Amendment Darkens the Future of Embryonic Stem Cell Research

A recent federal court injunction based on a congressional budget amendment passed years before the first human embryonic stem cells were isolated has thrown many of the field's ongoing projects into limbo...

September 13, 2010 — Allison Bond

Depression Drugs Affect Personality

Less neuroticism and more extroversion may be at the root of patients' improvement

September 9, 2010 — Katherine Harmon

New MRI maps assess connectivity to establish "brain age" curve for children and adults

As children grow, brambles of short brain connections are gradually pruned down to longer, stronger neural pathways. Research has shown this trend to follow a fairly standard curve during normal development to adulthood, and scientists are now using this information to create predictive models of brain maturation...