Dana Foundation Blog

Advice from the “doctor’s doctor”

When a loved one or a friend has been diagnosed with a brain disorder, we want to learn more about what’s going on, and often the first place checked for that information is the Web. But that’s not the necessarily the best reference; in our new book, Treating the Brain: What the Best Doctors Know, you’ll get direct access to Walter G. Bradley, the “doctor’s doctor.”

In the book, Bradley outlines in clear and accessible language the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment options for all of the most common neurological disorders. His expertise in these areas is well-known; not only does he have more than 40 years of experience, but he is also the current and founding editor of the leading neurology reference for medical practitioners and students, Neurology in Clinical Practice.

Recently, Bradley was a guest speaker at the Miami Book Fair International, one of the country’s leading literary events. In this engaging discussion, seen in the videos below, Bradley offers advice to patients and their loved ones coping with neurological disease and offers new information on conditions such as stroke, epilepsy, memory and Alzheimer’s.

Part One:

Part Two:

-Leticia Barnes

Robots in the classroom

Most of the concepts I’ve learned and come to rely on in the course of my life are because of an educator—a human being who valued ideas, took the time to explain things to me and nurtured my interests and passions. But after reading a new interview with Dana Alliance member Terrence Sejnowski, Ph.D., “Will ‘Rubi the Robot’ Be the Ultimate Teacher’s Aide? Machine Learning and the Transformation of Education,” I found myself deep in thought, trying to envision Sejnowski’s world of classrooms filled with mechanical teaching assistants.

My immediate response was concern: Will robots one day replace teachers? How do you replace the kindness and affection of a good teacher? But then I remembered the overcrowded classrooms and limited resources facing too many educators across the country. I came to realize the potential of robots in the classroom. A robot could work with a child independently to enable a teacher to focus on other lessons, while simultaneously collecting data that could be used to help refine teaching strategies.

No one knows for sure what the field of “machine learning” will ultimately bring to education. The possibilities are intriguing, though, and I look forward to the lively discussions that are sure to follow.

-Leticia Barnes

Brain science brings people together

Last week, while cycling in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, I met three wonderful women who asked me to join them on their 30-mile ride. The four of us took off on a two-hour journey, sharing breathtaking views of the magnificent canyon. However, it wasn’t long before we realized that we also shared a strong interest in news about brain research, as each one of us has or had a parent or family member suffering the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

My companions told me about a wonderful fundraiser they attended, benefiting the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. I’m familiar with this new, cutting-edge institution, which was designed by well-known architect Frank Gehry, because several Dana Alliance members are on the external scientific advisory board: Paul Greengard, Ph.D., a professor of molecular and cellular neuroscience at Rockefeller University; Zaven Khachaturian, Ph.D. president and chief executive officer of Keep Memory Alive in Las Vegas; John Q. Trojanowski, M.D., Ph.D., co-director of the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research at the University of Pennsylvania; and Nancy Wexler, Ph.D., a professor of neuropsychology at Columbia University.

But brain science is not just about uncovering the mysteries behind brain disorders; it’s also about keeping our brains healthy. So we’re excited that the Dana Alliance is partnering with AARP Events and the Lou Ruvo Center for AARP’S Annual Life@50+, which will be held Oct. 22-24 in Las Vegas. Among the events the first day will be Staying Sharp, a live public program focusing on how the brain works and how to maximize brain function and health as we age, featuring a panel discussion with Khachaturian.

So while the four of us (all well beyond AARP membership age) soared down a 1,000-foot drop to conclude our ride, we were comforted to know that brain research holds promise and potential for us all.

-Leticia Barnes

Deep brain stimulation in the news

Ever since the Food and Drug Administration approved deep brain stimulation (DBS) treatment for Parkinson’s disease in 2002 and dystonia in 2003, the media have closely followed the challenges and promise that this revolutionary technology has brought to patients around the world.

A recent issue of U.S. News & World Report, for instance, features “Deep Brain Stimulation: A Pacemaker for Parkinson’s Disease and More,” a story about a 54-year-old Parkinson’s patient who has had mixed results after receiving the brain implant two years ago.

DBS involves major brain surgery, and as the article shows, it doesn’t always produce dramatic improvements. But as a result of pioneering work by Dana Alliance members, among others, DBS now offers hope to patients with movement disorders who have no other treatment options—and has shown promise for several other devastating brain disorders. The renowned work of Mahlon DeLong, M.D., on the basal ganglia paved the way for modern DBS therapy for Parkinson’s and other movement disorders. The research of Helen Mayberg, M.D., has made DBS an experimental therapy for patients with severe depression whose symptoms are not alleviated by conventional therapies.

For more information about the history of DBS, its promising applications and the ethical challenges it poses, take a look at our recent book Deep Brain Stimulation: A New Treatment Shows Promise in the Most Difficult Cases, by award-winning science writer Jamie Talan.

-Leticia Barnes

Be an early reviewer for Treating the Brain

Here's your chance to read and review a Dana Press book before it’s released to the general public.

July’s title is Treating the Brain: What the Best Doctors Know, by eminent neuroscientist Walter Bradley:

Even in this information age, people dealing with often-serious neurological problems face the daunting task of finding accurate, credible and understandable information—the essential medical fact. Using case histories as examples, Dr. Bradley, one of the world’s leading neurologists, explains the neurological examinations, tests, clinical features, causes and treatments available for Alzheimer’s disease, migraines, stroke, epilepsy, Parkinson’s and other frequently diagnosed neurological disorders.

Known by medical students and physicians across the globe as the editor of the leading neurology textbook, Neurology in Clinical Practice, Dr. Bradley now provides a definitive resource for patients, caregivers and other health practitioners. Treating the Brain is for anyone who has ever had a neurological symptom, from a headache to tingling hands, and for anyone with a personal interest in how the brain works in health and disease.

Requests for this book are due by July 24; we will mail an advance reading edition by July 29 and seek your reviews by August 21. Stay tuned as more books become available later this year.

—Leticia Barnes

Brain boosters in the news

The July 13 Newsweek features “Brain Boosters,” an interesting article about advances in brain research and potential therapies that may help build a “smarter brain.” As neuroscientists gain a greater understanding of the human brain, we all will have to consider the advantages and consequences of the use of enhancements to the normal brain to sharpen thinking or slow memory loss. “Brain boosters” are already an important topic of debate for the emerging field of neuroethics.

Just in case you’re not familiar with neuroethics, here’s a brief definition from the preface of The Ethical Brain by Michael Gazzaniga, a pioneer in cognitive neuroscience: “I would define neuroethics as the examination of how we want to deal with the social issues of disease, normality, mortality, lifestyle, and the philosophy of living informed by our understanding of underlying brain mechanisms” (emphasis in the original).

—Leticia Barnes

[See also our neuroethics page.]

HBO’S Alzheimer’s Project draws attention

If you know someone who has Alzheimer’s disease or have ever worried about getting this malady, which affects one out of eight people age 65 or older, I recommend HBO’s The Alzheimer’s Project. The Web site includes dozens of short videos about families coping with the ailment and scientists talking about the progress they are making in diagnosing and treating it. HBO is showing four full-length documentaries on consecutive evenings starting Sunday, May 10, at 9 p.m. EDT; the channel is unscrambling its signal just for these pieces so that even nonsubscribers can view them. Also on the Web site are areas where you can share your experiences and read about those of others, as well as links to helpful research and organizations.

This important project provides an up-to-date look at the challenges people with Alzheimer’s and their families face in their day-to-day lives. In addition, The Alzheimer’s Project shows hope on the horizon as we witness the pioneering work of 25 leading scientists and physicians (including some who are members of the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives) and get an inside view of their laboratories and clinics.

I applaud HBO for raising the public’s awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and also demonstrating how brain science is changing the way we live.

—Leticia Barnes

Sports, superstitions and the brain

Perhaps you are one of those who proudly don a “lucky” sock or hat and perform a pregame ritual before heading off to the sports field. And, if that’s the case, perhaps you’ve noticed an occasional glare or snicker from a bystander or nonbeliever. Well, brain science has something to say about why people believe in superstitions and curses, and you’ll find it in Your Brain on Cubs: Inside the Heads of Players and Fans. Here’s an excerpt from Chapter 4, “Curses!” by Tom Valeo and Lindsay Beyerstein:

As humans, we are constantly looking for causes to explain the effects we see in the world, and superstitious beliefs may result in from misperceiving these cause-and-effect relationships. A player who hits well may decide that his new socks had something to do with his performance and wear them in every game. …

Moreover, the brain cannot handle random patterns. We see shapes in the clouds and notice rocks look like faces or outlines of states. Likewise, because of our stubborn tendency to see outcomes as being connected to the events that precede them, we have a hard time accepting that sequential events are not causally related. Our brains are designed to learn from experience, with memories divided into fragments so we can retrieve the appropriate piece and apply it to a situation at hand. Such memory retrieval might be quite sensible. A batter with a two-strike count against a particular pitcher may recall that in the same situation three weeks ago, the pitcher threw a curveball and struck him out. However, it also makes it easy for the brain to cook up ridiculous reasoning: The last time this team made the World Series, a man and his billy goat were ejected from the stadium and supposedly placed a curse on the team—and that explains the decades that have passed without another World Series appearance. …

Also, subscribe to the Dana Podcasts series and checkout “Baseball and the Brain,” featuring former Giant baseball great Bobby Thomson and Your Brain on Cubs, contributors Hillary R. Rodman, Ph.D., Emory University, and Jordan Grafman, Ph.D., National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Dan Gordon, the book’s editor, moderates the conversation.

—Leticia Barnes

The Bard, Brain and Climate

Is our body’s reaction to the fluctuating temperatures of spring a subjective experience? Here’s some insight into what the Bard and neuroscience can tell us about human reactions to heat and cold from one of our books, The Bard on the Brain: Understanding the Mind Through the Art of Shakespeare and the Science of Brain Imaging, by Paul Matthews and Jeffrey McQuain.

(from Chapter 2: Seeing, Smelling, Feeling—Heat and Cold: As Much in the Mind as on the Skin)

Human reactions to heat and cold, Shakespeare suggests, may involve states of mind as much as changes in temperature. Just before its violent climax, Hamlet offers a final comic scene. Hamlet is conversing with his friend Horatio when they are interrupted by the courier Osric. Hamlet wants to embarrass Osric and to reinforce the prevailing notion that he himself has gone mad. Hamlet thus shifts unpredictably in talking about the weather, insisting that he feels too hot or too cold. Osric tries to agree with both positions, proving himself a sycophantic fool.

Osric: Sweet Lord, if your lordship were at leisure, I should impart a thing to you from his Majesty.

Hamlet: I will receive it, sir, with all diligence of spirit. Your bonnet to his right use: ’tis for the head.

Osric: I think you lordship, it is very hot.

Hamlet: No, believe me, ’tis very cold, the wind is northerly.

Osric: It is indifferent cold, my lord, indeed.

Hamlet: But yet methinks it is very sultry and hot for my complexion.

Osric: Exceedingly, my lord, it is very sultry—as ’twere—I cannot tell how. My lord, his Majesty bade me signify to you that he has laid a great wager on your head. Sir, this is the matter—

Hamlet: [signing to him to put on his hat] I beseech you remember—

Osric: Nay, good my lord, for my ease, in good faith. Sir, here is newly come to court Laertes—believe me, an absolute gentleman, full of most excellent differences, of very soft society and great showing. Indeed, to speak feelingly of him, he is the card or calendar of gentry; for you shall find in him the continent of what part a gentleman would see. [Hamlet, 5.2]

...The body is able to distinguish a wide variety of sensation, including most particularly those of temperature, touch, joint position and vibration, because the different receptors in the skin are sensitive to distinct types of stimuli. Signals from these receptors are arranged in separate, parallel circuits that run to the brain. The circuits are built up from the axons (the nerve fibers that make up the wiring for the central nervous system) having different sizes and varying abilities to conduct signals.

For example, the axons carrying temperature sensations are very thin and conduct signals particularly slowly (that is why there a detectable delay between putting a foot in an overly hot bath and withdrawing it in pain). In contrast, the axons that carry information about the position of our joints are thicker and conduct signals quickly, allowing us to make split-second adjustments of position and balance as we walk or meet the unpredictable bounce of a tennis ball with our racket.

If you would like to read more about Shakespeare’s interest in the human mind and its parallels in the world of brain science, we’re offering a 30 percent discount on The Bard on the Brain. Visit www.press.uchicago.edu/directmail/ or call 773-702-7000; to receive the discount, refer to promotional code AD9191. Shipping and handling ($5 for the first book and $1 for each additional book) and appropriate sales tax will be added. This offer is valid through May 15, 2009. (Sales tax: IL residents add 10.25 percent, IN residents add 6 percent, CA residents add applicable local sales tax.)

—Leticia Barnes

Too much PTSD?

In November Dana Press published Try to Remember: Psychiatry’s Clash over Meaning, Memory, and Mind, by Paul McHugh. In this timely book, McHugh—driven by his lifelong commitment to ridding psychiatry of unscientific practices—discusses the “recovered memory” scandal of the 1990s. And he dedicates an entire chapter to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the “traumatologists” (therapists and psychiatrists searching for hidden memories) who “pass over crucial distinctions in their patients, exaggerate the role of trauma in their lives, and greatly complicate their care.”

As soldiers return from military service in Iraq and Afghanistan and others seek help from an ever growing number of therapists and psychiatrists, it’s important for the public to understand why the increasing diagnoses of PTSD are controversial. Because they are not made using evidence-based medicine, McHugh argues, such verdicts can cause more harm than good to patients and families.

But don’t take our word for it. In this month’s issue of Scientific American, science writer David Dobbs also examines the issue in the article “Soldiers’ Stress: What Doctors Get Wrong with PTSD.” It’s always inspiring when our author’s views are supported in such renowned national publications.

For more information on Try to Remember, including McHugh’s interview on “CBS Sunday Morning”; a Webcast discussion of Try to Remember featuring Johns Hopkins psychiatrists Kay Redfield Jamison and J. Raymond DePaulo Jr.; and excerpts and order information, visit our book page.

—Leticia Barnes

New Book: Deep Brain Stimulation

At Dana Press, we are committed to providing books for general audiences that explore cutting-edge advances in neuroscience or that examine “tough” questions about the ethical risks that often accompany new developments in the field. With that in mind, we are excited to announce the publication of our newest book, Deep Brain Stimulation: A New Treatment Shows Promise in the Most Difficult Cases, by award-winning science writer Jamie Talan. Well-known scientists and best-selling authors, such as Joseph Ledoux and Mehmet Oz, have responded favorably—read their comments and more information on the book.

If you’re wondering, Deep Brain Stimulation is for you too, not just professional researchers and writers. What is deep brain stimulation? Who are good candidates for the treatment? What are the benefits and risks of a technique that requires brain surgery? What technological innovations lead to this novel treatment? With compelling profiles of both patients and the doctors and scientists who pursue this pioneering research, you’ll find answers to these and much more in Deep Brain Stimulation.

To help you decide if this is a “must read” book, read our Q&A with Jamie Talan. Or check out several reviews from our Reader’s Review program.

Finally, because you are reading this blog, we’d like to offer you a special 30% discount. Normally the book is $25, but if you visit the Deep Brain Stimulation ordering page or call 773-702-7000, and refer to promotional code AD9146, you can have the book for just $17.50. Shipping and handling is $5 for the first book and $1 for each additional copy, and appropriate sales tax will be added. Offer valid through May 15, 2009.

—Leticia Barnes

The brain, the immune system and sepsis, a silent killer

Dr. Kevin Tracey, chief executive officer at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and author of the Dana Press book Fatal Sequence: The Killer Within, was featured this week in an article on CNN.com. “This isn’t a one in a million case,” he says of the recent death of 20-year-old Brazilian model Mariana Bridi da Costa, who died after an infection led to sepsis.

Most people haven’t heard of sepsis; if you have heard of it, you may believe that it strikes only the elderly and doesn’t affect healthy people. In fact, sepsis can affect people of all ages fighting off nonfatal illnesses or injury such as burns and pneumonia. Several well-known people have died from sepsis, including Jim Henson, Pope John Paul II and Christopher Reeve, each from a sequence of events in the immune system and the brain’s failure to regulate infection.

In Fatal Sequence, through the tragic example of a young burn victim, Dr. Tracey describes how the brain plays an integral role in the onset of sepsis, how the brain’s failure can unleash the immune system and allow it to indiscriminately kill normal cells along with, or instead of, foreign microbes, and what conditions predispose patients to develop sepsis.

Understanding this “killer within” is essential—especially for those who think that it cannot happen to them. Sepsis is the third most common killer, Tracey writes; more people die from severe sepsis than from acute heart attack, at an estimated cost of more than $17 billion annually.

—Leticia Barnes

Last call for first Dana Press Reader’s Review title

Last month, we launched a new program, Reader’s Review, which is your chance to get a sneak peek at upcoming Dana Press books. Registration for our first selection, Deep Brain Stimulation: A New Treatment Shows Promise in the Most Difficult Cases by Jamie Talan, ends on Friday.

Through the Reader’s Review program, you can read advance copies of new books, then write and tell us what you did or didn’t enjoy about the book. We could post your reviews or link to your blog if you run a review there.

We’ll give you nearly six weeks to read the book (it’s less than 250 pages) and write your review. The deadline for reviews is Jan. 29, 2009. The rest of the country won’t get to read the book until it’s published, in late February 2009.

—Leticia Barnes

A Dana classic for the holidays

December signals the approach of the cold days of winter and the beginning of the annual holiday mania. As theaters across the country launch their productions of the Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol,” TV networks air the holiday classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” and retail stores and radios blast the seasonal music, I would like to offer you yet another option. It’s a book I’d like to call a “Dana classic”: The Bard on the Brain: Understanding the Mind Through the Art of Shakespeare and the Science of Imaging, by Paul M. Matthews, M.D., and Jeffrey McQuain, Ph.D.

What does “Shakespeare and the brain” have to do with the holidays? As we move through the holiday season, we’re all likely to experience many emotions, thoughts and memories brought about by music and gatherings with friends and families. Our senses will be activated strongly by traditional culinary delights and spirits. In The Bard on the Brain, through the beauty of some of Shakespeare’s greatest plays, we learn what brain science can tell us about our thoughts and feelings, memories both good and bad and the ways in which art and science together can provide us keen insight into the human mind.

—Leticia Barnes

Be an Early Reviewer for Deep Brain Stimulation

Be an Early Reviewer for Deep Brain Stimulation

Here's your chance to read and review a Dana Press book before it’s released to the general public.

December's title is Deep Brain Stimulation: A New Treatment Shows Promise in the Most Difficult Cases, by Jamie Talan:

More than 40,000 people worldwide have undergone deep brain stimulation, which involves implanting electrodes in the brain that are connected to a device similar to a pacemaker. With compelling profiles of patients and an introduction to doctors and scientists who are pioneering the research, Jamie Talan describes the ways in which deep brain stimulation has produced promising results —as well as the ethical issues that arise in the course of this research.

Requests for this book are due by Dec. 12; we will mail an advance reading edition by Dec. 17 and seek your reviews by Jan. 22. Stay tuned as more books become available in 2009.

—Leticia Barnes

‘Straight Shooting Shrink’ Paul McHugh’s new book is reviewed in The Wall

If your purchase of a good book is predicated by good reviews, visit our book page for Try to Remember, where you’ll also find a review that appears in today’s Wall Street Journal and a review that appeared in the Nov. 6 issue of The Jerusalem Post. And learn more about the author in a fascinating interview, “Do No Harm: Q&A with Paul McHugh,” by Aalok Mehta.

—Leticia Barnes

A fascinating intersection of art and books

We all love books, but mostly as a matter of intellectual and social stimulation. But an exhibit at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, “A Moveable Feast: The Book as Art,” shows us a new way to love and appreciate books.

This fascinating exhibit features works from well-known artists from across the country. It features two dozen books, some well illustrated, some cleverly shaped and some with moveable parts and three dimensional elements. One of the artists whose work I liked is Carol Barton from the Washington, D.C. Visiting her Website, I loved, “Plant this Book” which takes the Chinese proverb, “A book is like a garden carried in the pocket,” to a new dimension.

The exhibit is open until Nov. 30.

—Leticia Barnes

Something better than a good book?

Apparently, for baby boomers and seniors there might be something better than “a good book”—Web surfing. In a new study, a team led by Gary Small at the University of California, Los Angeles, compared the brain’s activity during reading a book with “an everyday task like searching the Web.” The Web use stimulated more activity. Their test subjects were 55- to 76-year-olds, not kids.

So, while Web surfing engages areas of my brain that are responsible for decision making and complex reasoning, I’d like to think that it also could help me stave off shrinkage and reduction in cell activity in the brain associated with aging.

If more research confirms this study, I’ll continue enjoying my books, but Silver Surfers here I come!

—Leticia Barnes

Calling all Cubs fans – don’t fret, consider your frontal lobes!

September brings fresh meaning to the phrase “Cubbie Occurrences.” After months with a winning record, the team has collapsed, with a streak of losses this month (it is 3-6 so far in September). And yesterday, news of Hurricane Ike’s potential swing through baseball territory led to the postponement of the first two games of this weekend’s schedule.

But according to Jordan Grafman, contributor to our book Your Brain on Cubs, who is featured on ESPN’s Outside the Lines this week, these occurrences may be just what the frontal lobes need. Grafman says that if Cubs fans want to “maintain superiority of the Chicago Brain, they have to cycle a bit through losses and victories so they can still use their reasoning power and creativity to think about the Cubs.”

To read more about the frontal lobes of Cubs fans and perspectives from Cubs fans ages 7 to 100 check out the Outside the Lines feature No Love Lost by Wayne Drehs. And don’t forget to catch the show itself, on Sunday at 9 a.m. Eastern time.

—Leticia Barnes

Tired of trying to remember? Get some sleep!

Most of us are well aware that our brains need more rest. We’re besieged with commercials for all types of prescription sleep aids and bombarded by advice on how to get that most treasured of commodities—a good night’s slumber. But like many Americans, I’m too busy to get lots of sleep, and when I finally do settle down late in the evening, I end up reading a novel, writing in my journal or planning for the next day—all activities that keep my brain humming at full speed.

But after skimming countless articles on the benefits of sleep and still not adjusting my lifestyle to accommodate, I think I’ve had a breakthrough. From reading “Sleep on It: How Snoozing Makes You Smarter,” in the August/September 2008 issue of Scientific American Mind, I was astounded to learn that there are many aspects of “memory consolidation” that occur only after a minimum of six hours of sleep. I don’t mind being slightly tired some days, but I do fear being forgetful, particularly if the remedy is simply just getting to bed earlier. So, tonight it’s six hours plus, and hopefully tomorrow, I’ll remember where I put my keys!

—Leticia Barnes