Science Current Events | Science News | Brightsurf.com
 
Email a Friend Send to a friend
Printer Friendly Print Finding out which parts of the brain do what

Finding out which parts of the brain do what

February 15, 2001

Ever since the Greeks proposed that different parts of the brain housed different parts of the ‘soul’, mankind has tried to discover where our mental functions are located. This evening, Thursday 22 February, in a public lecture at the Royal Society, 6 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AG, Professor Alan Cowey FRS of the University of Oxford will trace the development of our understanding of the brain through to the present day, when brain imaging technology has revolutionised cognitive neuroscience.

Professor Cowey is giving his lecture in celebration of The British Psychological Society’s Centenary this year. He will describe how before brain imaging and magnetic stimulation were possible, we had to rely on studies of patients with localised brain damage to find out which parts of the brain controlled which functions and how they did so.




He will also refer to the attempts made by phrenologists in the 18th and 19th centuries to relate the relative size of different cortical areas in the brain to mental functions. The practice of phrenology led in popular thinking to the idea that the shape of the head or even of different ‘bumps’ on the head determined the intelligence of clever or artistic people.

It is fitting that Professor Cowey’s lecture, entitled Functional localisation in the brain: from Ancient to Modern, will be held in the Royal Society, Britain’s national academy of science.

Professor Cowey said: ‘It is particularly timely at the start of a new millennium to recognise the achievements of our ancestors in exploring the mind during the previous three millennia’.



British Psychological Society (BPS)



Related Aging Current Events and Aging News Articles Aging Current Events and Aging News RSS Aging Current Events and Aging News RSS
An atomic-level look at an HIV accomplice
Since the discovery in 2007 that a component of human semen called SEVI boosts infectivity of the virus that causes AIDS, researchers have been trying to learn more about SEVI and how it works, in hopes of thwarting its infection-promoting activity.

New culprit for viral infections among elderly -- an overactive immune response
Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have found that exaggerated responses of the immune system explain why the elderly succumb to viral infections more readily than younger people.

Saliva proteins change as women age
In a step toward using human saliva to tell whether those stiff joints, memory lapses, and other telltale signs of aging are normal or red flags for disease, scientists are describing how the protein content of women's saliva change with advancing age.

Scientists find molecular trigger that helps prevent aging and disease
Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine set out to address a question that has been challenging scientists for years: How do dietary restriction-and the reverse, overconsumption-produce protective effects against aging and disease?

Residential design for persons with neurological disability
IOS Press announces the November 2009 publication of a special issue of NeuroRehabilitation: An International Journal devoted to residential design for persons with neurodisability.

Berkeley Lab Lends Expertise to India to Promote Energy Efficiency
ndia may rank only a distant fourth in terms of carbon dioxide emissions, behind China, the United States and Russia, but its rapid economic growth rate coupled with aging and inefficient energy infrastructure suggest dire environmental consequences if "business as usual" continues.

New neuroimaging analysis technique identifies impact of Alzheimer's disease gene in healthy brains
Brain imaging can offer a window into risk for diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). A study conducted at the University of Kansas School of Medicine demonstrated that genetic risk is expressed in the brains of even those who are healthy, but carry some risk for AD.

Researchers find potential treatment for Huntington's disease
Investigators at Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham), the University of British Columbia's Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics and the University of California, San Diego have found that normal synaptic activity in nerve cells (the electrical activity in the brain that allows nerve cells to communicate with one another) protects the brain from the misfolded proteins associated with Huntington's disease.

Neuroimaging provides insights into new treatment options for Alzheimer's disease
With about 35 million people around the world suffering from Alzheimer's disease (AD) by the year 2010 and an expectation that these numbers will double every twenty years with approximately 115 million cases by 2050, pressure on healthcare systems worldwide will be intense.

'Escaped' proteins add to hearing loss in elderly, UF researchers find
Age-related hearing loss is the most common sensory disorder among the elderly. But scientists are still trying to figure out what cellular processes govern or contribute to the loss.
More Aging Current Events and Aging News Articles
Aging Well: Surprising Guideposts to a Happier Life from the Landmark Harvard Study of Adult Development

Aging Well: Surprising Guideposts to a Happier Life from the Landmark Harvard Study of Adult Development
by George E. Vaillant (Author)

Now in paperback, the acclaimed bestseller that reveals the scientific secrets to ensuring that our golden years are truly golden. Based on the longest and most complete study of adult development in the world, AGING WELL draws from the individual histories of 824 men and women from a variety of backgrounds to illustrate the most important factors involved in reaching and enjoying a happy, healthy old age.

Rules for Aging: A Wry and Witty Guide to Life

Rules for Aging: A Wry and Witty Guide to Life
by Roger Rosenblatt (Author)

Acclaimed and beloved prize-winning essayist Roger Rosenblatt has commented on most of the trends and events of our time. His columns in Time magazine and his commentaries on PBS's News Hour with Jim Lehrer have made him a household word and a trusted friend of millions. With a wry sense of humor and inimitable wit, Rosenblatt offers here guidelines for aging that are both easy to understand and, more importantly, easy to implement.

More and more in the news today, we are hearing about phenomenal advances in the "fight against aging." But what Rosenblatt suggests to combat age is far more valuable than any scientific breakthrough-he breaks down the hardest part of aging, the mental anguish of growing older with fifty-four gems of funny, brilliant, wise, indispensable advice....

Aging: Concepts and Controversies

Aging: Concepts and Controversies
by Harry R. Moody (Author)

Presenting current research in an innovative format, Aging: Concepts and Controversies encourages students to become involved and take an informed stand on the major aging issues that we face as a society. Leading author and active expert in gerontology Rick Moody provides thorough explanation of the issues in the Concepts sections and current research in the Controversy sections, demonstrating the close link between concepts and controversies in the broad areas of aging: health care, socioeconomic trends, and the life course. Thoroughly revised throughout, this Sixth Edition updates developments in each sub-specialty including nine new readings, new international...

Healthy Aging: A Lifelong Guide to Your Well-Being

Healthy Aging: A Lifelong Guide to Your Well-Being
by Andrew Weil M.D. (Author)

In each of his widely acclaimed, best-selling books, Dr. Andrew Weil has been an authoritative and companionable guide through a uniquely effective combination of traditional and nontraditional approaches to health and healthy living. Now he gives us a book about aging that is unlike any other. Drawing on the new science of biogerontology (the biology of aging) as well as on the secrets of healthy longevity — diet, activity and attitude — Dr. Weil explains that there are a myriad of things we can do to keep our bodies and minds in good working order through all phases of life. Hugely informative, practical, and uplifting, Healthy Aging is infused with the engaging candor and common sense that have made Dr. Weil our most trusted source on healthy living.

With detailed...

Aging: The Fulfillment of Life

Aging: The Fulfillment of Life
by Henri J.M. Nouwen (Author), Walter J. Gaffney (Author)

The author shares his moving and inspirational  thoughts on what aging can mean to all of us. It  is a warm, caring book that shows us how to make  the later years a source of hope rather than a time  of loneliness.

B & W  photographs throughout.

Open Road - America Looks at Aging

Open Road - America Looks at Aging
Starring: Michele Norris
Directed By: Nina Gilden Seavey
Also With: Erich Roland (Cinematographer), Jeff Steinberg (Composer), Mickey Green (Editor), Ian Rummer (Editor)

THE OPEN ROAD: AMERICA LOOKS AT AGING, a new documentary premiering on PBS in July 2005, examines the personal and social impact of the impending retirement of America's 77 million Baby Boomers. Through insightful stories of individuals confronting the obstacles and pursuing opportunities presented by the "third stage" of life, THE OPEN ROAD probes the important social, economic, and cultural issues at stake. It is a film that will make people think, talk, and plan for the road that lies ahead. It is a key part of a nation-wide dialogue that will include town meetings in 9 select cities, locally-sponsored discussion groups throughout the U.S., articles written on retirement authored by veteran journalists, and the creation of a model communities program. Coupled with this intensive...

Aging With Grace: What the Nun Study Teaches Us About Leading Longer, Healthier, and More Meaningful Lives

Aging With Grace: What the Nun Study Teaches Us About Leading Longer, Healthier, and More Meaningful Lives
by David Snowdon (Author)

In 1986 Dr. David Snowdon, one of the world’s leading experts on Alzheimer’s disease, embarked on a revolutionary scientific study that would forever change the way we view aging—and ultimately living. Dubbed the “Nun Study” because it involves a unique population of 678 Catholic sisters, this remarkable long-term research project has made headlines worldwide with its provocative discoveries.
Yet Aging with Grace is more than a groundbreaking health and science book. It is the inspiring human story of these remarkable women—ranging in age from 74 to 106—whose dedication to serving others may help all of us live longer and healthier lives.

Totally accessible, with fascinating portraits of the nuns and the scientists who study them, Aging with Grace also offers a...

Annual Editions: Aging 09/10

Annual Editions: Aging 09/10
by Harold Cox (Author)

Annual Editions is a series of over 65 volumes, each designed to provide convenient, inexpensive access to a wide range of current articles from some of the most respected magazines, newspapers, and journals published today. Annual Editions are updated on a regular basis through a continuous monitoring of over 300 periodical sources. The articles selected are authored by prominent scholars, researchers, and commentators writing for a general audience. The Annual Editions volumes have a number of common organizational features designed to make them particularly useful in the classroom: a general introduction; an annotated table of contents; a topic guide; an annotated listing of selected World Wide Web sites; and a brief overview for each section. Each volume also offers an online...

The Art of Aging: A Doctor's Prescription for Well-Being

The Art of Aging: A Doctor's Prescription for Well-Being
by Sherwin B. Nuland (Author)

In his landmark book How We Die, Sherwin B. Nuland profoundly altered our perception of the end of life. Now in The Art of Aging, Dr. Nuland steps back to explore the impact of aging on our minds and bodies, strivings and relationships. Melding a scientist’s passion for truth with a humanist’s understanding of the heart and soul, Nuland has created a wise, frank, and inspiring book about the ultimate stage of life’s journey.

The onset of aging can be so gradual that we are often surprised to find that one day it is fully upon us. The changes to the senses, appearance, reflexes, physical endurance, and sexual appetites are undeniable–and rarely welcome–and yet, as Nuland shows, getting older has its surprising blessings. Age concentrates not only the mind, but the body’s...

Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 Anti-Aging UV Moisturizer SPF 15 1.7oz

Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 Anti-Aging UV Moisturizer SPF 15 1.7oz
by Olay

Total Effects 7x: With 7 vitamins and minerals. Fights 7 signs of aging. Broad Spectrum SPF 15 UVA/UVB Sunscreen. Olay Total Effects Visible Anti-Aging Vitamin Complex with UV Protection (SPF 15) contains 7 vitamins and minerals including Vitamin C, zinc, titanium, magnesium and VitaNiacin, an exclusive formulation of Vitamin B3 (a niacin derivative), Vitamin E and Pro-Vitamin B5 and is infused with Olay moisture. It Fights Seven Signs of Aging: 1. Diminishes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. 2. Smoothes skin texture - visibly and to the touch. 3. Evens skin tone for younger-looking, more balanced color. 4. Improves surface dullness, giving skin a radiant, healthy glow. 5. Minimizes the appearance of pores. 6. Visibly reduces the appearance of blotches and age spots. 7. Soothes...

© 2009 BrightSurf.com