Harry Campbell
Scientists have been studying the brain for centuries, but its trillions of neuronal connections make it extraordinarily complicated, and each new advance seems to reveal another layer of complexity. MGH researchers are compiling thousands of brain images to gauge what goes awry in psychiatric and neurological disorders and to probe how particular genes affect behavior. They’re observing the brain under general anesthesia to make surgery safer and to explore what happens when consciousness is lost; experimenting with enzymes involved in Alzheimer’s disease that could be targets for drug treatments; and creating microelectrodes that could treat epilepsy and help the severely depressed.
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The Way We’re Wired
Two major research efforts are helping scientists view the brain’s trillions of connections with unprecedented clarity, opening a window on neurological disorders. // More -
The Mysteries of Anesthesia
The drugs that put us under for surgery may also help reveal the inner workings of the brain and body. // More -
Stimulating Depression Relief
Two small electrodes delivering electrical impulses directly to the brain eases the symptoms of some people with severe chronic depression. // More -
Dissolving Alzheimer’s
Scientists are trying to stem the neurodegenerative disease by breaking down the plaque that accumulates in sufferers’ brains and destroys neurons. // More -
Unveiling the Brain’s Architecture
A pair of initiatives to improve brain imaging is revealing how its structure differentiates humans from other animals and could lead to cures for mental illness. // More -
Defusing Seizures
New monitoring techniques and surgeries are easing epileptics whose condition can’t be controlled with medication alone. // More
Video: The Mysteries of Anesthesia
MGH’s Emery Brown explains how anesthesia helps us understand neuroscience.
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