Thoughts Can Fuel Some Deadly Brain Cancers
A doctor-scientist's long quest to help children with a rare form of brain cancer has led to the discovery that high levels of brain activity can make glioma tumors grow faster.
brain
'Mad Cow' Disease In Texas Man Has Mysterious Origin
It's only the fourth case of the deadly disease in the U.S. And it has doctors on an international hunt. How did a disease linked to contaminated beef in the U.K. more than a decade ago get to Texas?
Sushi Science: A 3-D View Of The Body's Wasabi Receptor
The same receptor on nerve endings that makes sinuses tingle when we eat wasabi plays an important role in the pain of inflammation. The first 3-D view of the receptor could lead to better pain drugs.
Hackers Teach Computers To Tell Healthy And Sick Brain Cells Apart
Scientists are still better than computers at assessing a neuron's health by looking at its shape. But an effort that includes an international series of hackathons could help speed the process.
How Malaria In The Brain Kills: Doctors Solve A Medical Mystery
A child stricken with the deadliest form of the disease can quickly fall unconscious and die. A doctor in Michigan has dedicated her life to figuring out how this happens. At last, she has the answer.
Clues To Autism, Schizophrenia Emerge From Cerebellum Research
The brain's cerebellum helps shape thinking and emotion, as well as physical coordination, research shows. Could stimulating that part of the brain help ease some aspects of autism and schizophrenia?
Fingertips To Hair Follicles: Why 'Touch' Triggers Pleasure And Pain
In his latest book, neuroscientist David Linden explains the science of touch. He tells Fresh Air how pain protects, why fingertips are so sensitive and why you can't read Braille with your genitals.
After Alzheimer's Diagnosis, 'The Stripping Away Of My Identity'
Greg O'Brien talks about how his life has changed in the five years since he was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. "More and more I don't recognize people," he says.
Blind From Birth, But Able To Use Sound To 'See' Faces
The area of the brain that recognizes faces can use sound instead of sight. That recent discovery suggests facial recognition is so important to humans that it's part of our most basic wiring.
Are Modafinil's Brain-Boosting Benefits Hype Or Science?
Modafinil has been approved for treatment of narcolepsy, but it's often used to improve mental performance. The question is, does it work? A new study says probably not.