BrainWork
is a bimonthly, eight-page newsletter about current developments
in the neurosciences. BrainWork and its sister publication,
the monthly newspaper, Brain in the News, will be of interest
to all those interested in following the advances in brain research
that are going on in what has been termed the Century of the Brain.
Subscription to both publications is free at the Web site, www.dana.org.
Recent articles have included the subjects of unconscious repression,
genetic deafness, autism, strokes, and the effect of stress on memory.
Both periodicals are highly credible, interesting, and readable
without any special background in neurobiology.
My
intent here is to make readers of The Permanente Journal
familiar with the work and remarkable publications of the Dana Foundation.
Charles Dana, a New York philanthropist, created the Dana Foundation
in 1950 to advance public knowledge of brain research. Its main
work has focused on the brain in science, health, and the arts.
Dana Press has published a number of books in the neurosciences.
Examples are The End of Stress as We Know It1
by Bruce McEwen at Rockefeller University, Michael Gazzaniga's new
book, The Ethical Brain,2 and Richard Restak's
Secret Life of the Brain,3 the basis of the PBS
series by the same name.
Cerebrum,
an erudite quarterly journal from Dana Press, publishes general
interest neuroscience articles. Examples of recent titles are: "Brainsick,
a Physician's Journey to the Brink;" "Beyond Raging Hormones:
The Tinderbox in the Teenage Brain;" and "New Insights
into Temperament." Those interested in subscribing can first
get a sample hard copy issue of Cerebrum free at the Dana
Web site.
Other
materials from the Dana Foundation include videotapes and audiotapes
on various topics in brain science, all designed for an intelligent
general audience, not specialized neuroscientists. For instance,
the Dana Sourcebook of Brain Science, while designed as a
resource for teachers, is also a fascinating collection of articles
by and excerpts from the writings and teaching of major scientific
writers. Its subjects range from axonal regeneration to neuroimmunology
to how the brain has been portrayed in literature. The Sourcebook
also contains reviews of a wide range of neuroscience-related publications
for general audiences, a glossary of terms, and a long, well-organized
list of Internet resources. Readers who go to www.dana.org and sign
up for a free subscription to BrainWorks and/or Brain
in the News will serve themselves well. The Dana Foundation
is an important source for more than is described here.
References
