Most medicines today were developed using trial-and-error techniques, which often do not reveal why a drug produces a particular effect. But the expanding knowledge gained from molecular biology methods makes safer and more effective drugs possible.

As our understanding of the processes that underlie brain damage progresses, it becomes possible to use small-molecule drugs, such as antibiotics and anti-tumor drugs, to alter these processes.

Chemical reactions within brain cells translate the neurotransmitter message for the neuron.

Once the neural induction has occurred, the next step for new neurons is a journey to the proper position in the brain. This process is called migration, and it begins three to four weeks after a human baby is conceived.

Currently approved treatments for Alzheimer’s disease do not modify the course of the disease and offer only temporary mitigation of some symptoms, such as agitation, anxiety, unpredictable behavior, sleep disturbances, and depression.

The moment light meets the retina, the process of sight begins. About 60 years ago, scientists discovered that each vision cell’s receptive field is activated when light hits a tiny region in the center of the field and inhibited when light hits the area surrounding the center.

Neuron formation begins in the earliest stages of human development. Signaling molecules “turn on” certain genes and “turn off” others, beginning nerve cell induction.

Providing a high-quality, three-dimensional image of organs and structures inside the body without X-rays or other radiation, MRIs are noninvasive and unsurpassed in the anatomical detail they show.

Sleep is crucial for concentration, memory, coordination, and even emotional health. Research holds promise for devising new treatments to allow millions of people to get a good night’s sleep.

Plasticity itself is not unique to humans, but the degree to which our brains are able to adapt is.