Articles

Cerebrum 2008

Home Cerebrum 2008
Cerebrum

Pediatric Screening and the Public Good

The advantages of screening for diseases and disorders in children seem obvious. Ideally, tests catch problems early and increase opportunities for treatment and recovery. However, Jennifer Kwon and Richard H. Dees note that screening programs can have a number of complications, including ambiguous benefits, the need to educate families and the public, results that land in a gray area between normal and certain disorder, blurred lines between screening and research, and competition for scarce funding. Kwon and Dees urge caution and careful consideration of potential costs alongside potential advantages.

By: Jennifer Kwon, M.D., M.P.H., Richard H. Dees, Ph.D.

Cerebrum

Managing Conflicting Interests in Medical Journal Publishing

The editors of a top neuroscience journal explain the unique challenges they face as they attempt to balance the interests of authors, peer reviewers, the journal itself and its readers.

By: Adam F. Stewart, S. Claiborne Johnston, M.D., Ph.D., Stephen L. Hauser, M.D.

Cerebrum

Working Later in Life May Facilitate Neural Health

Evidence indicates that by continuing to perform difficult tasks and engage in new pursuits, the brain remains flexible over time—good not only for the individual but also for society. Denise C. Park theorizes that exercising the brain causes “scaffolding,” which creates new circuits to support pre-existing pathways.

By: Denise C. Park, Ph.D.

Cerebrum

The Impact of Modern Neuroscience on Treatment of Parolees

Ethical Considerations in Using Pharmacology to Prevent Addiction Relapse

Neuroscience is offering insights into addiction and providing scientists with pharmacological methods, such as the use of injectable naltrexone, for reducing relapse. Richard J. Bonnie, Donna T. Chen and Charles P. O’Brien consider the ethical and legal implications of different methods for administering naltrexone to convicted drug offenders.

By: Richard J. Bonnie, J.D., Donna T. Chen, M.D., M.P.H., Charles P. O'Brien, M.D., Ph.D.

Cerebrum

The Meaning of Psychological Abnormality

As reports of childhood behavioral problems increase, Dr. Jerome Kagan raises concern about the reliability of these diagnoses. The rapid rise may stem from children’s experiences and pressures on parents and physicians, he argues.

By: Jerome Kagan, Ph.D.

Cerebrum

Connectomics

Tracing the Wires of the Brain

With the help of high-tech computers and electron microscopes, scientists are working toward mapping the connections of the human brain. Through descriptions of the where the technology is now and where it could go, Sebastian Seung illustrates how it might later be used to answer some of the most puzzling questions about the brain.

By: Sebastian Seung, Ph.D.

Cerebrum

The Political Brain

Neuroscientist Geoffrey Aguirre addresses the argument from both sides to determine the validity of brain-scanning for political preferences and shows that pollsters aren't out of a job—yet.

By: Geoffrey K. Aguirre, M.D., Ph.D.

Cerebrum

A Road Paved by Reason

With its emphasis on problem solving, cognitive therapy has helped generations of people with disorders such as depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder—and other applications may follow.

By: Elizabeth Norton Lasley

Cerebrum

Deep Brain Stimulation Offers Hope in Depression

There is a new hope for patients who have severe depression. An experimental surgical procedure, deep brain stimulation, is proving to reverse the effects of unrelenting depression by stimulating a precise network of brain cells. Jamie Talan reveals how some of the top scientists are using this procedure.

By: Jamie Talan

Cerebrum

Your Brain and Heart Surgery

The relationship between heart bypass surgery and brain health is more complex than many of us realize. Whereas cognitive problems sometimes seem to be caused by surgery, recent findings suggest that they instead stem from problems that were present before surgery.

By: Brenda Patoine

displaying page
of 2

Explore More

Sign up for monthly email updates on neuroscience & society topics, grants, and upcoming events

Subscribe