Building the Brain: What Can Go Right?

For immediate release.

BUILDING THE BRAIN: WHAT CAN GO RIGHT?

Scientists are learning a lot about how the brain develops normally;
findings increase ability to identify and treat dysfunction and enhance performance

Washington, DC — New studies released today show remarkable new understanding of how the normal brain and nervous system develops and wires itself early in development, including two new discoveries about ‘critical periods’ — limited time windows for acquiring a particular skill — and a new method to map brain circuits, which will help researchers understand how brain cells connect and communicate to produce action. The studies were released at Neuroscience 2008, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world’s largest source of emerging news about brain science and health. The findings may ultimately lead to treatments that can reactivate critical periods in adults to rewire injured or diseased brains. View full release.