Designer DNA Drugs with Don Cleveland
Learn more about designer DNA drugs & how they will impact patient care.
Reconstructing the Brain in a Dish
Rare disorder gives insight into neuroinflamation.
Living with Down Syndrome
Karen Gaffney discusses her life with Down Syndrome and the need for more research.
Advances in Otolaryngology
New developments in inner ear treatments, cochlear implants, hearing loss & more.
  • Welcome
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  • Brain Blog
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Welcome to the Brain Channel, a platform to explore research and ideas on the brain and mind, as well as possible treatments for conditions related to the nervous system.

The workings of the brain define us – what we sense, what we know, who we are. In health, the brain functions marvelously. Our goal is to find out why the brain sometimes lets us down and leads to illness.

We are on the cusp of what promises to be an era of unprecedented progress in neurology. Even with current fiscal constraints and serious concerns about how healthcare will be organized and financed, in the next two decades progress in neurology and neurological science will create important new insights into the brain as we decipher its disorders and discover and apply effective treatments.

Please join us on this adventure to learn more about the brain and all its possibilities. Check back often for new programs, news and resources. And if you would like to suggest a topic for us to tackle, please send your ideas to brainchannel@ucsd.edu.

William C. Mobley, MD, PhD
Department of Neurosciences
University of California, San Diego


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Watch all the programs in the On Our Mind series.
Your Virtual Self: Psychology in the Age of Virtual Reality
09/13/2018
“Look!” My nephew kept eating from a box of infinite donuts in his new cubicle office. He had just been promoted by a floating computer monitor, his boss. A concerned look slowly printed onto his boss’ flat face as it saw him continuously push donuts down his gullet. The game was “Job Simulator”, and while […]
Spinal Cord Injury and how to treat it
09/06/2018
More than a quarter of a million Americans live with a spinal cord injury (SCI) [1], which occurs when a physical injury damages or severs spinal cord tissue. This injury can break neural connections from the brain to the limbs that are used to initiate voluntary movement, which in extreme cases results in full or […]
Defining Cognitive Adulthood: When Neuroscience Influences Law
08/30/2018
In 2006, a grand jury convicted Evan Miller in a homicide case, sentencing him to mandatory life imprisonment without the possibility for parole. At the time of his crime, Evan was 14-years-old. Years later, after a series of appeals, Evan’s case–Miller vs. Alabama–made it to the Supreme Court, which ruled that a sentence of life […]
The Neuroscience of Laughter
08/23/2018
Think back to the last time you had a real, hearty laugh: mouth in a wide smile, eyes crinkled and tearing, breath leaving your body in short bursts if you could get any breath out at all. For humans, there are few more pleasurable experiences or greater expressions of joy as laughter. We use laughter […]
The Plastic Brain: Neurotransmitter Switching
08/16/2018
What comes to mind when you think of the word “plastic”? For me, this word conjures images of water bottles and tupperware. So in my high school psychology class, when we were told that our brains are “plastic”, I was pretty confused. However, we soon learned that the word “plastic” can be used to describe […]
The Power of Neuroscience Compels You!
08/09/2018
[En español] Last February the Vatican announced that it was offering an exorcism training course* for priests. At first I thought it was a great way to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the release of the wonderful horror classic The Exorcist, but as it turned out, this initiative was in response to an alarming rise in […]
Alzheimer's Disease

The oncoming epidemic of Alzheimer’s disease is staggering to consider. It will have an enormous impact on our personal lives, our communities, and our nation. Join us to explore treatment options, innovations in research, and so much more.

Browse Alzheimer's Disease >
 
Autism

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of developmental disorders that has a wide range of impacts. William Mobley, PhD interviews clinicians and researchers to learn more about what we know and what we have yet to learn about autism.

Browse Autism >
 
Movement Disorders

UC San Diego physicians and researchers are hard at work uncovering the symptoms, secrets, and progression of movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. William Mobley, MD, PhD sits down with those on the front lines to find out what we currently know, where research is trending, and what potential therapies are on the horizon.

Browse Movement Disorders >
 
On Our Mind

William C. Mobley, Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurosciences at UCSD, welcomes experts with wide ranging expertise to discuss the brain. Explore how the brain works, the technologies we can use to harness brain power, and how we can treat disease, and much more.

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