News and Features

Alzheimer's Disease: Return of the Prion Hypothesis

Feb 17, 2012

Researchers have re-embraced an old theory that Alzheimer’s resembles transmissible ‘prion’ diseases. Here’s a quick timeline of how their thinking has changed over the past few decades.

Treating Brain Cancer with Nanomedicine

Feb 13, 2012

Researchers find microparticles can carry treatments across the blood-brain barrier and target only tumor cells.

Do Antidepressants Really Work?

Feb 09, 2012

Do Antidepressants Really Work? By William Z. Potter, M.D., Ph.D., Foundation of the National Institutes of Health and Steven M. Paul, M.D., Weill Cornell Medical College 2012 02 09

Off-the-Shelf Drug Rapidly Clears Alzheimer’s Protein in Mice

Feb 09, 2012

The drug, bexarotene, might be more useful in preventing dementia than in treating it.

New York City Regional Brain Bee 2012

Feb 07, 2012

Danling Chen, a 16-year-old 11th-grade student at Staten Island Technical High school, won first place at the 2012 New York City Regional Brain Bee.

Beyond the Connectome

Feb 03, 2012

Pressures on the brain as early as fetal development can alter development much later, researchers studying neural connections have found.

The Mystery of 'Good Prions'

Jan 31, 2012

Prion-like protein aggregates aren’t always bad—they may be the key to stabilizing our long-term memories, for example. But how firm is the dividing line between “good prions” and bad ones?

Making Memory May Mean Modeling and Remodeling

Jan 20, 2012

We build on memory to predict the future, and might remember better if reality surprises us. Researchers offered these and other insights during the recent meeting of the Experimental Psychology Society in London this month.

Decision-Making: Beyond Dopamine

Jan 17, 2012

Research presented at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in November suggests that norepinephrine and serotonin also play roles in helping us decide.

Playing Video Games May Make Specific Changes to the Brain

Jan 09, 2012

Areas that are linked to reward and self-control appear to change when young people play video games, according to two recent studies.

Wanted: Better Brain-Process Biomarkers for Drug Trials

Jan 03, 2012

Researchers seek faster, cheaper ways to evaluate potential neurodegenerative disease treatments.

The Tangles of Neurodegeneration Not Easy to Unravel

Dec 23, 2011

Targeting different neurotransmitters hasn't offered a breakthrough, said Ann Young during the recent Society for Neuroscience meeting. Perhaps genetics and attention to the misfolded proteins seen in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other diseases can offer a better therapeutic solution.

Delirium: A Preventable Problem

Dec 14, 2011

Delirium in the hospital is a common occurrence for the elderly, but there are ways to lower the risk.

Neuroscience and the Law

Dec 13, 2011

Researchers can describe differences in the brains of psychopaths, addicts, and developing humans (a k a teenagers), compared with normally behaving adults. But no one is ready to predict a person's behavior based on a brain scan, warned panelists during a public symposium at the recent Society for Neuroscience annual meeting.

Finding the Key to Open the Blood-Brain Barrier

Dec 05, 2011

The tightly knit cellular fence protecting the brain from foreign invaders in the bloodstream also blocks the entry of helpful drugs. Researchers are trying a variety of approaches  to temporarily pry open a safe portal.

Do-It-Yourself Neuroscience

Nov 28, 2011

Using off-the-shelf electronics and a little ingenuity, teachers and scientists are helping kids do basic brain science – and even high-tech optogenetics.

For First Time, Researchers Describe Molecular Mechanism for a 'Gateway Drug'—Nicotine

Nov 22, 2011

Epidemiologists have been searching for decades for scientific evidence that tobacco and other substances really are "gateways" to harder drugs. Now neuroscientist Eric Kandel and colleagues, in partnership with his wife, epidemiologist Denise Kandel, have described a molecular mechanism by which nicotine enhances cocaine cravings in mice.

Reactive Temperament in Infancy Linked to Amygdala Activity Later in Life

Nov 18, 2011

"Even though their personality might have changed and their behaviors might have changed, that neurobiology has not," says researcher Jerome Kagan.

How Do You Get Involved in Neuroethics?

Nov 11, 2011

During a workshop at the annual meeting of the International Neuroethics Society, panelists advised ethical wannabes to just get started.

Seeking the Neurobiology of Psychiatric Disorders

Nov 10, 2011

Researchers are combining brain imaging, genetics, and molecular and cellular biology to find new ways to understand and treat anxiety disorders and schizophrenia.
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Dana Alliance Publications and Resources

**DABI publications online order form**

Please visit this page to order materials. Click on the links below to download PDFs.
GENERAL AUDIENCES
Q&A: Answering Your Questions About Brain Research

Q&A: Answering Your Questions About Brain Research

A pamphlet that provides the answers to commonly asked questions about the brain and its disorders.
Brain Connections

Brain Connections

An online guide listing over 240 organizations in the U.S. likely to help those looking for information, referrals, and other guidance in connection with brain-related disorders. DOWNLOAD ONLY.
STAYING SHARP SERIES
Staying Sharp: Memory and Aging

Staying Sharp: Memory and Aging

Moments of forgetfulness happen to everyone, even the young. But as we get older, they may leave us wondering if we’re losing our mental edge.
Staying Sharp: Late-Life Brain Disorders: Getting the Facts

Staying Sharp: Late-Life Brain Disorders: Getting the Facts

Is there anyone who doesn’t desire to live life to the fullest every day, no matter their age? Learn about a few of the most common and most debilitating late-life brain disorders: dementia, depression, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and chronic pain.
Staying Sharp: Learning As We Age

Staying Sharp: Learning As We Age

According to the latest brain research, actively engaging our brains in learning throughout life can have a significant impact on how well our brains age. Find out what neuroscience has revealed about lifelong learning.
Staying Sharp: Successful Aging and Your Brain

Staying Sharp: Successful Aging and Your Brain

We all know people who seem to blossom after 50, or stay sharp well into old age. What can we learn from them? Find out what steps you can take now to improve your brain fitness, regardless of your age.
Staying Sharp DVD Program

Staying Sharp DVD Program

This 29-minute DVD covers changes in the aging brain, memory, and the science behind the healthy brain practices that may help us stay sharp. Pair with “Successful Aging,” the Staying Sharp bookmark, and puzzles for a brain health program.
Staying Sharp Bookmark

Staying Sharp Bookmark

This bookmark illustrates four lifestyle factors that may contribute to the maintenance of cognitive function: mental activity, physical activity, social engagement, and the control of vascular risk factors.
THE MINDBOGGLING SERIES
It's Mindboggling!

It's Mindboggling!

Packed with information about the brain in a fun format of games, riddles, and puzzles for elementary and middle school students.
Es Increible!

Es Increible!

The Spanish edition of "It's Mindboggling!"
More Mindbogglers!

More Mindbogglers!

An addition to It’s Mindboggling!, this publication is a closer look at learning and memory, the senses, drug addition, and how the brain and nervous system work, for elementary and middle school students.
The Mindboggling Workbook

The Mindboggling Workbook

A fun-filled activity book about the brain for children in grades K-3 (ages 5-9). Provides an introduction to how the brain works, what the brain does, its importance, and how to take care of it.