Week of May 23, 2001

The decade of the brain, which ends this year, marked an acceleration of neuroscience research. This show takes a look at some of the astounding progress we've made in that decade, highlighting the ten most important breakthroughs. Guests include Dr. Guy McKhann, associate director for clinical research at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; Dr. Miguel Nicolelis, associate professor of neurobiology at the Duke University Medical Center; Dr. Jeffrey Kordower, director of research at the Center for Brain Repair at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center; and Dr. Ronald McKay, chief of the laboratory of molecular biology at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Host Dr. Fred Goodwin begins the show by reflecting on how much we've learned in the past decade of the brain. He notes that well over half of the human genome is composed of brain-related cells, and that those genes can influence a range of behaviors. He explains that The Infinite Mind's board of scientific advisors helped put this show together by suggesting what they felt were the most important discoveries of the past 10 years.

Dr. Goodwin's first guest is Dr. Guy McKhann, associate director for clinical research at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Dr. McKhann works with brain imaging, which has vastly improved over the past decade. Dr. McKhann says scans have been able to show the structure of the brain for some time. The big recent advance, he says, is the ability to use new scanning technology to see what the brain is doing while it does it. This technique, known as functional imaging, shows the change in blood flow in the brain, which in turn shows which parts of the brain are active. The part of the brain related to the eyes will show increase blood flow when someone is looking at something, for example. He notes this can be extremely helpful in medicine, allowing doctors to compare the brain scans of patients who are recovering well from stroke, for instance, with those who aren't. To reach Dr. McKhann, you can email him, or write to him at: 31 Center Drive, Building 31, Room 8A52, Bethesda, MD, 20892.

Next, Dr. Goodwin is joined by Dr. Miguel Nicolelis, associate professor of neurobiology at the Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Nicolelis recently became the first to successfully use the brain impulses of primates to operate a robotic arm in real time. He describes his process, which involved sampling the electrical activity in the brains of monkeys and then separating their motor commands from all other impulses. He then fed these impulses into a robotic arm, making it simulate the movements of the monkey. Dr. Nicolelis even sent the signals over the Internet, making a robot at MIT, in Massachusetts, respond to the brain impulses of a monkey at Duke, in North Carolina. Dr. Nicolelis estimates that people with spinal cord injuries will be able to use this technology within the next decade to restore some of their upper limb movement. He said the technology, which requires implanting small electrodes in the brain, could also be used to lift extremely heavy objects. To get in touch with Dr. Nicolelis, click here to email him.

Dr. Goodwin is then joined by Dr. Creighton Phelps, director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers Program at the National Institute on Aging. Dr. Phelps discusses a new vaccine that has been successful in reversing the symptoms of Alzheimer's in mice. Dr. Phelps says that the plaque that causes Alzheimer's symptoms in mice (which has also been shown to cause Alzheimer's in people) is, surprisingly, the same agent that can cause the destruction of that plaque. He says the findings have been so promising in mice that trials have already begun testing this method in humans. Even if those trials are successful, though, he estimates that it will be another four to five years before treatment is available. To find about more about this vaccine or Alzheimer's research, click here to email Dr. Phelps.

The next guest is Dr. John Marler, who discusses a new but underutilized treatment for stroke. Dr. Marler, the associate director for clinical trials at the Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, says a drug known as TPA has been available to treat stroke since 1996. If used quickly, TPA, which is also used to treat heart attacks, can dissolve blood clots and restore blood flow to the brain. But, Dr. Marler estimates only five to 10 percent of emergency rooms are prepared to give TPA. That's partly because the drug requires doctors to take quick action; TPA has to be given within 90 minutes of a stroke. And, because TPA can cause hemorrhaging if given in excess, many doctors may be reluctant to make quick decisions about its use. Dr. Marler says people interested in finding out whether their local hospitals dispense TPA should call them and ask. You can write to Dr. Marler at: National Institute of of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Neurosciences Center Building, 6001 Executive Blvd., Room 2216, Bethesda, MD 20892.

Dr. Ronald McKay then speaks with Dr. Goodwin about stem cells, another area of recent breakthrough research. Stem cells are the undifferentiated cells that can grow into different kinds of cells. They were first discovered when scientists studying leukemia found that stem cells could turn into blood cells. But recently, researchers have discovered that stem cells can also grow into neurons and can even turn into different kinds of neurons, depending on their location in the brain. Dr. McKay says "it's hard to see the limit of this technology," which can be used in treating stroke, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. You can write to Dr. McKay at: National Institute of of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Lab of Molecular Biology, Building 36, Room 5A19, Bethesda, MD 20892-2540.

Dr. Goodwin is then joined by Dr. Jeffrey Kordower, director of research at the Center for Brain Repair at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago. Dr. Kordower injected monkeys with a toxin known to create a condition like Parkinson's and was able to then successfully reverse those symptoms using gene therapy. The treatment involved giving monkeys a virus that encodes for a gene that makes a chemical that in turn prevents certain nerve cells from dying. Monkeys who were given this therapy were better able to move and perform tasks than the control monkeys in his experiment. For more information about his research, you can email Dr. Kordower, or write to him at the Department of Neuroscience, Rush Presbyterian Medical Center, 2242 West Harrison Street, Chicago, IL, 60612.

Dr. Goodwin's last guest is Dr. Terry Sejnowski, the director of the computation neurobiology lab at the Salk Institute and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Dr. Sejnowski describes several forward leaps in neuroscience. He first discusses the fact that human brains can create new brain cells well into life. Until recently, we thought that humans were born with all their brain cells. We now know new cells are created and that they have better chances at surviving if they're used. Next, Dr. Sejnowski discusses the discovery of targeted chemical pathways on the cell membrane. Dr. Sejnowski says these new chemical pathways are paving the way for a new generation of mood stabilizing drugs. He then discusses his own research on sleep, which has focused on signals sent between the brain's hippocampus and cortex during sleep. He thinks this suggests that long-term memories may be made permanent during sleep. You can e-mail Dr. Sejnowski, or write to him at the Salk Institute, 10010 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA, 92037.

Finally, commentator John Hockenberry discusses his favorite neuroscience discovery: that the brain can create new cells. He wants some more of his own.

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