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Cerebrum 2009

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Religion and the Brain

A Debate

Two scientists suggest that religious experiences arise from brain networks that evolved for other purposes. A psychiatrist counters that the brain may be a medium for religious experience without necessarily generating it.

By: Dimitrios Kapogiannis, M.D., Jordan Grafman, Ph.D., Andrew B. Newberg, M.D.

Cerebrum

The Science of Education

Informing Teaching and Learning through the Brain Sciences

Discoveries about how the brain learns are fueling interest in applying neuroscience in the classroom. In the new field of neuroeducation, scientists and educators should join forces to develop goals for learning-related research, the authors argue.

By: Mariale Hardiman, Ed.D., Martha Bridge Denckla, M.D.

measuring a man's waist
Cerebrum

Wired for Hunger: The Brain and Obesity

Because food is not always plentiful, humans have evolved to eat whenever it is available. Researchers are starting to tease out the brain circuits that elicit this “eat” message, a network that may contribute to today’s widespread obesity. Effective obesity treatment likely will involve combination of drugs, in addition to psychological approaches and exercise—not just a single pill.

By: Marcelo O. Dietrich, M.D., Tamas L. Horvath, D.V.M., Ph.D.

Cerebrum

Updating the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

How the foremost clinical manual for psychiatric disorders guides doctors to diagnoses has long been controversial. Now, during the early stages of the manual’s revision, complementary articles—one by four scientists involved in the process, the other by a psychiatrist looking in from the outside—address how to make psychiatric diagnosis both more certain and more flexible.

By: David J. Kupfer, M.D., Emily A. Kuhl, Ph.D., William E. Narrow, M.D., M.P.H., Darrel A. Regier, M.D., M.P.H., Paul R. McHugh, M.D.

Cerebrum

What Can Dance Teach Us about Learning?

An action such as a dance move activates the same brain circuitry whether we perform it ourselves or watch someone else perform it, research indicates. This “action observation network” is important for learning.

By: Scott T. Grafton, M.D.

Cerebrum

How Arts Training Improves Attention and Cognition

Sustained training in music, dance or other arts strengthens the brain’s attention system, which in turn may improve cognition more generally. Evidence for such cognitive “transfer” is accumulating.

By: Michael I. Posner, Ph.D., Brenda Patoine

x-ray
Cerebrum

Using Deep Brain Stimulation on the Mind: Handle with Care

The success of deep brain stimulation in treating movement disorders has led to investigations of its use for psychiatric illnesses. While the technique shows early promise in the treatment of depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, Dr. Mahlon DeLong, M.D., a pioneer in the field, cautions both doctors and patients to be aware of the risks in using this yet unproven method.

By: Mahlon R. DeLong, M.D.

Cerebrum

Why So Many Seniors Get Swindled

Brain Anomalies and Poor Decision-making in Older Adults

The elderly often fall victim to scams, but is it more than aged neurons causing the problem? One expert argues that such slips result from gene-based abnormalities in the brain’s emotional processing rather than the normal deterioration that goes with aging.

By: Natalie L. Denburg, Ph.D., Lyndsay Harshman, B.S.

child plays driving game on tablet
Cerebrum

Video Games Affect the Brain—for Better and Worse

Headlines about how video games affect the brain range from upbeat to dire. Psychologist Douglas A. Gentile asserts that although violent games in particular can have negative consequences, well-designed games can teach positive skills. He proposes five attributes of video game design that can help explain findings and guide future research.

By: Douglas A. Gentile, Ph.D.

Cerebrum

Neuroimaging: Separating the Promise from the Pipe Dreams

Neuroimaging can reveal a great deal about the brain, but scientists and the science-savvy must be careful lest we read too much into imaging findings. Russell A. Poldrack, Ph.D., a leading theorist on how to interpret certain neuroimaging results, explains the limits of this promising technology and the caveats we should keep in mind when we hear of a “breakthrough.”

By: Russell A. Poldrack, Ph.D.

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