From Mouse to Man

What the latest basic science research is telling us about the human mind

by Philip Newton

Is educational research finally having an Impact?

A paper describing some research on the way science is taught was recently published by one of the most high profile research journals in the world. This has raised a lot of issues about how education research is valued. Read More

How easy is it to fake ADHD?

Disturbingly easy. All you need is 5 minutes with Google according to a new study.

Many of you will be thinking "why would anyone want to fake ADHD!?" Well a common reason is to gain access to stimulant medications with the hope that they will boost academic performance, or for more simple abuse purposes. Read More

Traumatic Brain Injury leads to problems with emotional processing

The subject of Traumatic Brain Injury is back in the news after the accident suffered by top snowboarder Kevin Pearce. Some timely new research has revealed some of the personality changes that can occur after a TBI, including profound problems in the ability to process emotions.

How YoutubeTM helped researchers identify a new tool for rapid evaluation of head injury. Read More

What is dopamine?

What is dopamine? What does it do and how does it do it? These questions have caused controversy in neuroscience for decades. A new study from the UK may have some of the answers. Read More

To clarify; alcoholics and liver transplants

I have received a number of comments on my original post and I want to make sure I'm absolutely clear. My intention was to use the issue of liver transplantation to highlight how some people view alcoholics as being at fault for their alcoholism.

This story is making the rounds again. It reveals a lot about how society thinks of alcoholics. Read More

The Anatomy of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

What parts of the brain are involved in posttraumatic stress disorder? A recent study of Vietnam veterans used a novel and clever strategy to produce some unexpected results. Read More

Potential Treatments for Alcoholism and Drug Addiction

A lot of work, in both the public and private sectors, is being put into the development of medications to treat alcohol and drug addiction. Here I will give you an overview of ongoing research and highlight some of the most exciting developments. Read More

Addiction IS a treatable disease

(Update, Jan 15 2009. This post was written in response to one from Stanton Peele entitled "Lies that addiction experts tell us part 3......". The title of Stanton Peeles post has subsequently been changed to "Addiction myth #3.......". I tell you this to explain the numerous references to "lies" and "lying" that appear here). Read More

Bad Science

Learn how to spot bad science, how to tease out the truth from the hyperbole, and where to go for good science. Read More

Social Anxiety Disorder and The Placebo Effect

The Placebo Effect, where patients derive benefit from a "dummy" pill, has been described many times over the years. New research shows that there is a genetic basis for the placebo effect in sufferers of social anxiety disorder. Read More

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Cannabis. A Potted History

"....because I can't forget no matter how hard I try.........." Corporal Cloy Richards, PTSD sufferer.

Cannabis has often been proposed to treat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and rates of marijuana use are significantly higher in PTSD sufferers. However like all medical marijuana issues it's controversial and complicated.

Everyone experiences stress and unhappiness at some points in their lives. For most people, these unpleasant episodes are transient but for others they are associated with the development of conditions such as depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder. A key challenge for scientists is to try to understand why only some people will develop these disorders. Read More

A new target for alcoholism treatment; the N-type calcium channel.

Hello and welcome to a new blog; From Mouse to Man. I'm your host, Dr. Phil Newton from the University of California at San Francisco. I'll be bringing you some of the latest developments from the world of basic research and trying to translate their implications for human mental health. Read More