The discovery in the late 1950s that the level of dopamine was decreased in the brains of Parkinson’s patients was followed in the 1960s by successful treatment with the drug levodopa, which is converted to dopamine in the brain. This historical event is one of the greatest medical breakthroughs in the field of neurology.

What do standing frustrated in a supermarket checkout line or sitting in a traffic jam have in common with fleeing predators, as was done in the early days of human beings?

The cerebrum, the largest part of the human brain, is associated with higher order functioning, including the control of voluntary behavior. Thinking, perceiving, planning, and understanding language all lie within the cerebrum’s control.

Although most of us don’t think of it in this way, the related senses of taste and smell help us interpret the chemical world.

Neuroscientists believe that the brain can remain relatively healthy and full-functioning as it ages.

Medical science offers us a number of different ways to dull or treat pain.

The brain uses a variety of chemicals called neurotransmitters to communicate between brain cells.

Insulation covering wires preserves the strength of the electrical signals that travel through them. The myelin sheath covering axons serves a similar purpose.

Considered the most common mental illnesses, anxiety disorders affect an estimated 18 percent of the adult population in a given year, or 40 million Americans.

To be able to see anything, eyes first need to process light. Vision begins with light passing through the cornea.