More on episode 7: Inside the brain’s black box
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Adrian Ivinson explains why researchers need to collaborate to tackle neurodegenerative diseases
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Ivinson is director of the Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center. Established in 2001 by Dr. Joseph Martin (Dean of Harvard Medical School, 1997-2007), the Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center is a pioneering biomedical research group focused on ending suffering from neurodegenerative diseases. By drawing on the intellectual strength and proven capability of the Harvard medical community and colleagues throughout the world, the NeuroDiscovery Center has developed a unique approach to understanding and treating these devastating diseases.
Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center
ALS related research
Alzheimer’s related research
Huntington’s related research
Parkinson’s related research
The latest on autism spectrum disorders
Reporter Yvonna Reekie explores the rise in autism diagnoses and the roots of the disease. HMS professor Christopher Walsh at Children’s Hospital Boston has uncovered the responsible gene in a number of families. The gene was different in each family, but his research points to some common brain mechanisms that are involved with learning. Thus, autism seems to impair the ability of the brain to change in response to the environment.
HMS assistant professor Martha Herbert at Massachusetts General Hospital suggests that autism is not just a genetically determined brain disorder, but a systemic condition that involves a complex interplay between genes and the environment. But Michael Greenberg, chair of the HMS Department of Neurobiology, says that most of the evidence supports a genetic model of the disease.
Walsh lab
Martha Herbert’s bio
Greenberg lab
Cross kingdom conflicts on a beetle’s back
A team has discovered how beetles and bacteria form a symbiotic relationship—one that ultimately results in the destruction of pine forests. The findings suggest a potential new source of pharmaceuticals.
