Neuroscience
Compiled by Charles D. Lawrence, MPH, Ph.D.
The Heart-Brain Connection: The Neuroscience of
Social, Emotional, and Academic Learning
Neuroscientist Richard Davidson
presents his research on how social
and emotional learning can affect the
brain.
http://www.edutopia.org/richarddavidson-sel-brain-video
Comparative Mammalian Brain Collections
This web site provides browsers with images and information from one of the world's
largest collection of well-preserved, sectioned and stained brains of mammals. Viewers
can see and download photographs of brains of over 100 different species of mammals
(including humans) representing over 20 Mammalian Orders.
http://www.brainmuseum.org/
The Sheep Brain Dissection Guide
Contains a guide for college level
dissection. A later edition will contain
elementary level & high school level
dissection.
http://academic.scranton.edu/department/
psych/sheep/newsheep/practice/
The Neuron Connection
The Neuron Connection is a resource that is
available on line to all Neuroscience instructors
and students. It contains tested labs that span
the breadth of the discipline from cells to
behavior, and also the depth of the field from
community college to first year graduate school
level.
http://www.wellesley.edu/Biology/Concepts/
Html/theneuronconnection.html
Brain Facts and Figures
These data were obtained from several
textbooks. All numbers are for humans
unless otherwise indicated.
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/
facts.html
Neuroscience for Kids
Neuroscience for Kids has been created for all students and teachers who would like
to learn about the nervous system. Discover the exciting world of the brain, spinal
cord, neurons and the senses. Use the experiments, activities and games to help you
learn about the nervous system. There are plenty of links to other web sites for you to
explore.
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html
Synapse Animation
When the wave of Action Potentials reach the end of the
axon the electrical signal is converted into a chemical
signal. This chemical or neurotransmitter crosses the
space (Synapse) between adjacent neurons and initiates
an Action Potential on another neuron.
http://www.tvdsb.on.ca/westmin/science/sbioac/homeo/
synapse.htm
Synaptic Transmission
This web site is structured around the
educational content which it provides. There
are four fundamental steps in the process of
synaptic transmission; likewise, there are
four primary divisions of content in this web
site.
http://www.williams.edu/imput/synapse/
pages/using_site.html
Neuroscience Tutorial
An illustrated guide to the essential basics of
clinical neuroscience. Created in conjunction
with the first-year course for medical students.
http://thalamus.wustl.edu/course/
Introductory Biological Psychology Tutorials
The Psychology Centre of Athabasca University has
developed a series of online tutorials primarily for use by
students in the introductory psychology course.
http://psych.athabascau.ca/html/Psych289/Biotutorials/
index.shtml?sso=true
MOTION PERCEPTION
An essential quality that distinguishes all animals from plants is their
capacity for voluntary movement. But the ability to move brings with it
the requirement to sense movement, whether to guide one's
progress through the world, or to detect the movement of other
mobile animals such as approaching predators.
http://www.lifesci.sussex.ac.uk/home/George_Mather/Motion/
index.html
Visual Physiology
Follow the route of visual processing from the eyes,
through the Lateral Geniculate Nucleus, and up to the
cortex. After you have explored the visual system, test
your knowledge with the quiz.
http://www.lifesci.sussex.ac.uk/home/George_Mather/
Linked%20Pages/Physiol/index.html
Sensation and Perception Tutorials
Here is a small collection of tutorials and demonstrations
related to our senses.
http://psych.hanover.edu/krantz/sen_tut.html
Webvision - The organization of the retina
The goal of this resource is to summarize the recent
advances in knowledge and understanding of the
mammalian retina.
http://webvision.med.utah.edu/
Neuroscience Education Resources Virtual
Encycloportal
Discover interactive animations and games as well as other
credible education tools for use with any outreach activity.
hhttp://www.ndgo.net/sfn/nerve/
Brain Facts
Brain Facts is a 64-page primer on the brain and nervous
system, published by the Society for Neuroscience.
Download Brain Facts (PDF, 3 MB)
http://www.sfn.org/skins/main/pdf/brainfacts/brainfacts.pdf
Brain Briefings
A series of two-page newsletters explaining how basic
neuroscience discoveries lead to clinical applications.
http://www.sfn.org/index.cfm?pagename=brainBriefings_main
Milestones in Neuroscience Research
The following dates and events were gathered from several
sources. These events are certainly not all of the important events
to take place in neuroscience...just some of the ones that have
been selected.
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/hist.html
The Brain From Top to Bottom
This site, from the Canadian Institutes of Health
Research’s Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health
and Addiction sponsors, offers in-depth information to
students of all levels about such brain-related issues as
the senses, memory, pleasure and pain, and mental
disorders.
http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/index_d.html
Interactive Brain Atlas
2-D and 3-D views of the brain from cadaver sections,
MRI scans, and computer reconstructions.
http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/index_d.html
Dana Sourcebook of Brain Science
The Dana Sourcebook of Brain Science offers a basic
introduction to brain science, its history, our current
understanding of the brain, new developments, and
future directions.
http://dana.org/news/publications/publication.aspx?
It's Mindboggling Booklet
A fun booklet about the brain and brain research from
the Dana Alliance.
http://www.dana.org/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?
id=5814
Brain and Nerves
MedlinePlus will direct you to information to help answer
health questions. MedlinePlus brings together
authoritative information from NLM, the National Institutes
of Health (NIH), and other government agencies and
health-related organizations.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/brainandnerves.html
A Bit About Phrenology
One may wonder why a long discredited pseudoscience would retain
any interest for today's neurosurgeons and neuroscientists in general.
Its history helps us to understand better the developments of concepts
of the localization of cerebral functions, primarily those of the 19th
century.
http://www.neurosurgery.org/cybermuseum/pre20th/phren/
phrenology.html
Fly Brain Atlas and Database
An Online Atlas and Database of the Drosophila Nervous System
http://flybrain.neurobio.arizona.edu/
Brain Biodiversity Bank
The Michigan State portal to the combined brain collections
of the Mational Museum of Health and Medicine, Michigan
State University and the University of Wisconsin.
https://www.msu.edu/user/brains/
The Brain of the Florida Manatee
This project has provided the first complete sectioning of whole
brains of the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus laterostris).
Nine brains were cut in different planes of section and stained
for nerve cells and fibers.
http://manateebrain.org/
High Resolution Mouse Brain Atlas
The mouse is generally recognized among biomedical scientists as a key
mammal for research purposes, and is clearly the mammal of choice for the
increasingly dominant field of genetic research. The mouse brain contains the
same array of basic components laid out in a more linear pattern, and serves very
well as an introduction to mammalian brain architecture in general.
http://www.hms.harvard.edu/research/brain/atlas.html#
Delusional Parasitosis
Delusional Parasitosis is a mistaken belief that one is being infested by parasites such as
mites, lice, fleas, spiders, worms, bacteria, or other organisms. This site has been
created in an attempt to centralize accurate information on this misunderstood and
increasingly common syndrome.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/brainandnerves.html
Seeing, Hearing and Smelling the World
We can recognize a friend instantly—full-face, in profile, or even by
the back of his head. We can distinguish millions of shades of
color, as well as 10,000 smells. We can feel a feather as it brushes
our skin, hear the faint rustle of a leaf. It all seems so effortless: we
open our eyes or ears and let the world stream in.
http://www.hhmi.org/senses/a110.html
The Brain — Effects of Stroke
Your brain has three main components - the cerebrum (which
consists of the left and right cerebral hemispheres), the
cerebellum, and the brain stem. The cerebral hemispheres of
the brain make up the largest part of your brain.
http://www.medem.com/MedLB/article_detaillb.cfm?
article_ID=ZZZ0ZFP46JC&sub_cat=75
The Whole Brain Atlas
"This is your brain in pictures. The best visual representation of what's
inside your head gets even better. How many other sites offer you the
top 100 (actually 106) brain structures?
http://www.med.harvard.edu/AANLIB/home.html
A Bit About Phrenology
How do you remember the way to your friend's house? Why do
your eyes blink without you ever thinking about it? Where do
dreams come from? Your brain is in charge of these things and
a lot more.
http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/brain.html
How Your Brain Works
Every animal you can think of -- mammals, birds, reptiles,
fish, amphibians -- has a brain. But the human brain is
unique. It gives us the power to think, plan, speak,
imagine... It is truly an amazing organ.
http://health.howstuffworks.com/brain.htm
Brain Explorer
An animated look at the brain, nerve transmission, and brain disorders.
http://www.brainexplorer.org/
Brain Maps
BrainMaps.org is an interactive multiresolution nextgeneration brain atlas that is based on over 20 million
megapixels of sub-micron resolution, annotated, scanned
images.
http://brainmaps.org/index.php
Brain Basics: Know Your Brain
The brain is the most complex part of the human body. This
three-pound organ is the seat of intelligence, interpreter of the
senses, initiator of body movement, and controller of behavior.
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/brain_basics/
know_your_brain.htm
Brain Injury: A Guide to Anatomy, Function and Symptoms
This is from a lawyer’s website but does have good information.
http://www.waiting.com/brainfunction.html
Comparative Brain Sizes
Have you ever wondered what makes us humans
different from, say, a rat? Have you ever wanted to see
a cerebellum up close and personal? Have you ever
wondered how intelligence is defined?
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/kinser/Home1.html
Left Brain, Right Brain, Whole Brain?
Here we will investigate current understanding of left-right
brain functioning; look at some of the psychological and
educational models which result; an examine some of the
educational implications.
http://www.singsurf.org/brain/rightbrain.php
What does Handedness have to do with Brain Lateralization?
The term brain lateralization refers to the fact that the two
halves of the human brain are not exactly alike. Each
hemisphere has functional specializations: some function
whose neural mechanisms are localized primarily in one
half of the brain.
http://www.indiana.edu/~primate/brain.html
University of Florida
Department of Neurosurgery
PATIENT DISEASES AND CONDITIONS
ACOUSTIC NEUROMA
Acoustic Neuromas are benign slow growing tumors
arising on the nerves of hearing and balance.
http://www.neurosurgery.ufl.edu/Patients/acoustic.shtml
ADULT BRAIN TUMORS
Brain tumors are abnormal growths of cells located in the
brain, or arising from the coverings of the brain.
http://www.neurosurgery.ufl.edu/Patients/adult_tumor.shtml
BRAIN ABSCESS
Brain abscesses are caused by bacterial, fungal and parasitic
organisms. Infections in other body organs such as pneumonia,
dental abscess or endocarditis, may spread through the blood
stream and lodge in the brain, leading to one or more brain
abscesses.
http://www.neurosurgery.ufl.edu/Patients/brain_abscess.shtml
Epilepsy
UNDERSTANDING SEIZURES AND THE TREATMENT
OPTIONS A GUIDE FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY
http://www.neurology.ufl.edu/epilepsy/forms/
seizureguide.pdf
TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY
Each year in the United States 1.4 million people sustain
a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Of these, about 50,000 die,
235,000 are hospitalized, and 1.1 million are treated and
released from an emergency room.
http://www.neurosurgery.ufl.edu/Patients/
head_injury.shtml
Mouse Party
Mouse Party is designed to provide a small glimpse into
the chemical interactions at the synaptic level that cause
the drug user to feel 'high'.
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/drugs/
mouse.html
How Drugs Can Kill
The drugs of abuse may give the user a feeling of pleasure, but it is
important to remember that they are toxic substances. We are
constantly being made aware that long-term drug abuse can be
bad for our health and that even a single use of a drug can kill. But
did you ever wonder HOW drugs kill?
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/drugs/
Drugs of Abuse
Drugs of Abuse
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/drugs/
abuse.html
Make a Mad, Mad, Mad, Neuron
Build your own monster neural circuit
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/reward/
madneuron.html
How Neurons Talk to Each Other
Reward pathways in the brain.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/brainandnerves.html
The Other Brain Cells
The structures within the brain are made up of about 100
billion neurons, as well as trillions of support cells called
glia. Neurons may be the more important cells in the brain
that relay messages about what you're thinking, feeling, or
doing. But they couldn't do it without a little help from their
friends, the glial cells.
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/reward/
A Bit About Phrenology
You can think of a brain pathway as a power line that
connects two brain regions. Brain pathways are made up
of interconnected neurons along which signals are
transmitted from one brain region to another.
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/reward/
pathways.html
Brain Imaging Technologies
Modern brain imaging techniques like PET and MRI
(Magnetic Resonance Imaging) are becoming indispensible
to researchers studying addiction and its effects on the brain.
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/drugs/
brainimage.html
Discovering Addiction Genes
Searching among all of our 20,000 or so genes for a few that are
involved in a complex disease can be quite costly and time
consuming. That is why researchers often use what they and
others know about a disease to narrow their focus down to a
smaller number of "candidate genes".
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/brainandnerves.html
Good Model Organisms for Addiction Research
Decades ago, researchers first tested laboratory strains of
rats and mice for specific addiction traits, such as high
preference for certain drugs or alcohol. Since individuals
within a laboratory strain are virtually identical, they all have
the same addiction profile.
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/genetics/
neurobiol.html
Environmental Risk Factors For Addiction
Roughly 10% of all people who experiment with drugs
become addicted. A combination of environmental and
genetic factors influence the likelihood of addiction.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/brainandnerves.html
Addiction Treatments Past and Present
In the past, society viewed drug addiction as a moral flaw.
Popular "treatments" involved imprisonment, sentencing to
asylums, and church-guided prayer. Not surprisingly, these
methods were generally ineffective.
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/issues/
treatments.html
Mental Illness: The Challenge of Dual Diagnosis
Mental illness and drug addiction often occur together. This
condition of dual diagnosis presents a challenge to physicians.
The patient has two brain diseases that influence one another,
and which both need treatment. But why do mental illness and
substance abuse so often occur together?
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/issues/
mentalillness.html
Ritalin and Cocaine: The Connection and the Controversy
Ritalin is the most commonly prescribed medication for
ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). This treatment
has helped thousands of people control their symptoms. But
because Ritalin is a stimulant like cocaine, it may cause
undesirable changes in the brain over time.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/brainandnerves.html
Cannabis in the Clinic? The Medical Marijuana Debate
MedlinePlus will direct you to information to help answer
health questions. MedlinePlus brings together authoritative
information from NLM, the National Institutes of Health (NIH),
and other government agencies and health-related
organizations.
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/issues/
marijuana.html