Edited by: Natan Davidovics

Issue XV

Brain Chip Helps Restore Muscle Movement

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/11/02/brainchip_tec.html?category=health&guid=20061102101530

An implantable brain chip that serves as an artificial connection between nerve cells could one day help rehabilitate lost muscle movement in patients who have suffered brain injuries, stroke or paralysis.

Dual-imaging Technique Useful Before And During Brain Surgery

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070609112838.htm

Brain specialists say the ability to incorporate--in real time--two high-tech imaging tools into the operating room can improve the functional abilities of patients who undergo brain surgery.

Miniature robot for precise positioning and targeting in keyhole neurosurgery

http://www.huji.ac.il/cgi-bin/dovrut/dovrut_search_eng.pl?mesge118114208532688760

An invention by a Hebrew University of Jerusalem researcher has made it possible to retain the advances of keyhole surgery through utilization of the "services" of a tiny robot that can guide surgical procedures with great accuracy.

Issue XVI
Hitachi: Move the Train With Your Brain

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/J/JAPAN_BRAIN_REMOTE?SITE=WIRE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Forget the clicker: A new technology in Japan could let you control electronic devices without lifting a finger simply by reading brain activity.

A Step Toward a Living, Learning Memory Chip

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=0306422B-E7F2-99DF-3809798634B2D416&sc=I100322

Israeli scientists imprint multiple, persistent memories on a culture of neurons, paving the way to cyborg-type machines

Brain's Inertial Navigation System Pinpointed

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=74875&nfid=crss

Researchers have discovered a sophisticated neural computer, buried deep in the cerebellum, that performs inertial navigation calculations to figure out a person's movement through space.

Issue XVII

Brain Electrodes Zap Depression

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/06/01/electrodes_tec.html?category=health&guid=20070601131500

Stimulating different parts of the brain with implanted electrodes could help treat the nearly two million people in the United States who suffer from severe depression but fail to respond to conventional treatment.

Robotic Ankles Step Up

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/05/31/roboticankle_tec.html?category=health&guid=20070531131500

Two robotic devices that mimic the human ankle could give amputees more natural, energy-efficient gaits. These spring-enabled, motor-driven devices could one day evolve into prostheses that attach directly to bone and draw on neural implants and sensors for automatic feedback and control.

Scientists Reverse Mental Retardation in Mice

http://sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=6901F70B-E7F2-99DF-3648F0789D1EC063&chanID=sa003&ec=ab174_0626

M.I.T. scientists report in Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences USA that they ameliorated brain damage in mice caused by a genetic disorder known as fragile X syndrome by blocking an enzyme involved in cellular development.

Issue XVIII

Insight Into Neural Stem Cells Has Implications For Designing Therapies

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070706090028.htm

Scientists have discovered that adult neural stem cells, which exist in the brain throughout life, are not a single, homogeneous group. Instead, they are a diverse group of cells, each capable of giving rise to specific types of neurons. The finding, the team says, significantly shifts the perspective on how these cells could be used to develop cell-based brain therapies.

Therapeutic Reflection

http://www.sciammind.com/article.cfm?articleID=D9C92A33-E7F2-99DF-3FD4CA8C977BCD81

So-called mirror neurons in the brain mimic other people's movements and help stroke victims regain lost abilities

Brain's Rapid Response Means That We Learn From Our Mistakes

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=75809

An 'early warning signal' in the brain that helps us to avoid repeating previous mistakes has been identified by Psychologists from the University of Exeter. Published in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, their research identifies, for the first time, a mechanism in the brain that reacts in just 0.1 seconds to things that have resulted in us making errors in the past.