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• Editorial
  
  Idan Segev
  
  Frontiers is Blossoming
  The Frontiers endeavor starts its second year in full gear. Around 2,000 of the world's top researchers from 45 countries are now helping...
• Global Open Access
  
  The Price of Knowledge
  Various business models of research publishing, and diverse ways of distilling research data determine the accessibility...
• Frontiers Launches New Specialty Journals
  
• Frontiers Special Topics
  
• 2008 Scientific Achievements, Awards and Prizes
  

• Brain Tuning Workshop: Music, emotions, and brain plasticity
  
  Eva Istok and Kai Schirdewahn
  
  EU-funded project 'Tuning the Brain for Music' organized the international and interdisciplinary workshop 'Music, emotions and brain plasticity' on February 5-6, 2009 in Helsinki, Finland. The workshop brought...
• Computational & Systems Neuroscience: the 2009 Cosyne Meeting
  
  Matteo Carandini
  
  Theoretical and computational approaches have become so important in neuroscience over the last decade that universities are devoting entire institutes to them. These approaches...

• Walking toward a convergence in aging research
  
  Mark A. Smith and Gemma Casadesus
  
  The brain is responsible for providing everything from the basic involuntary physiological events that allow one to breathe and live, to the conscious actions and thoughts that dictate the very essence of mankind. As?such, the preservation of brain...

• How precise is the timing of action potentials?
  
  Christoph Kirst and Marc Timme
  
  Distributed spiking activity underlies the dynamics and function of neuronal circuits and thus their computational capabilities. Beyond a simple rate, often the timing of spikes also essentially contributes to information processing in these systems...
• Cross-frequency coupling in parieto-frontal oscillatory networks during motor imagery revealed by magnetoencephalography
  
  Karim Jerbi and Olivier Bertrand
  
  Movement execution is the end-product of multiple intricate neural processes including action selection and planning. Although the neural dynamics involved in such internal processes are generally investigated during the build-up to movement...
• Overlapping areas of neuronal activation after motor and mental imagery training
  
  Kenneth Hugdahl
  
  The question whether mental imagery of perceptual and/or motor acts produces activation in the same or overlapping brain areas has fascinated neuroscientists and cognitive psychologists for several decades. For example, in a series of pioneering...
• The emotional consequences of being distracted
  
  Francisco Barceló
  
  Emotionally salient events have long been shown to engage attentional resources more than emotionally neutral events (Vuilleumier, 2005). In contrast, the reciprocal effect that attention also influences emotion has remained mostly unexplored...

• Bursts generate a non-reducible spike-pattern code
  
  Hugo G. Eyherabide, Ariel Rokem, Andreas V. M. Herz and Inés Samengo
  
  On the single-neuron level...
• KF-1 ubiquitin ligase: an anxiety suppressor
  
  Tamotsu Hashimoto-Gotoh, Naoyuki Iwabe, Atsushi Tsujimura, Keizo Takao and Tsuyoshi Miyakawa
  
  Anxiety is an instinct that may have developed to promote adaptive survival by evading unnecessary danger. However, excessive anxiety is disruptive and can be a basic disorder of other psychiatric diseases such as depression. The KF-1...
• Double trouble? Potential for hyperexcitability following both channelopathic up- and downregulation of I_h in epilepsy
  
  Jonas Dyhrfjeld-Johnsen, Robert J. Morgan and Ivan Soltesz
  
  Studies of pathological ion channel regulation as an underlying mechanism of epilepsy have revealed alterations of the h-current in several animal models. While prior reports indicate that downregulation of the h-current is pro-excitatory on the...
• Left temporal lobe structural and functional abnormality underlying auditory hallucinations
  
  Kenneth Hugdahl, Else-Marie Løberg and Merethe Nygård
  
  In this article, we review recent findings from our laboratory that auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia are internally generated speech "mis-representations" lateralized to the left superior temporal gyrus and sulcus. Such experiences are...
• Fluid reasoning and the developing brain
  
  Emilio Ferrer, Elizabeth D. O'Hare and Silvia A. Bunge
  
  Fluid reasoning is a cornerstone of human cognition, both during development and in adulthood. In spite of this...
• Virtual reality and the role of the prefrontal cortex in adults and children.
  
  Lutz Jäncke, Marcus Cheetham and Thomas Baumgartner
  
  In this review the neural underpinnings of the experience of presence are outlined. Firstly, it will be shown that presence is associated with an activation of a distributed network including the dorsal and ventral visual stream...
• Ontologies for neuroscience: What are they and what are they good for?
  
  Stephen D. Larson and Maryann E. Martone
  
  Current information technology practices in neuroscience make it difficult to understand the organization of the brain across spatial scales. Subcellular junctional connectivity, cytoarchitectural local connectivity...

Frontiers in Neuroscience launches a new and exciting section: the theme section! Articles in the theme section contain news & research & major player features as well as all you need to know about the industry surrounding the theme, from institutes to companies to foundations supporting the research.

In contrast to the scientific research articles published throughout Frontiers, which are openly accessible on the Frontiers internet platform, articles in the theme section are exclusive to the hardcopy edition of Frontiers in Neuroscience, which requires subscription.

• Overview
  
  Mijail Serruya
  
  Language, memory, executive planning, and attention are often compromised by neurological disease and injury. Physicians have few options to treat these cognitive deficits, leaving those affected unable to live independently...
• Diffusion Spectrum MRI in Three Mammals - Rat, Monkey and Human
  
  Van J. Wedeen, Ruopeng Wang, Jeremy D. Schmahmann, Emi Takahashi, Jon H. Kaas, Patric Hagmann, W. Y. Isaac Tseng, Douglas L. Rosene and Guangping Dai
  
  Three images are presented showing the fiber pathways of the brain reconstructed from diffusion spectrum MRI, obtained in the rat and in the rhesus monkey ex vivo in scans of 18 hrs at 4.7T...
• In Search of the Inner Savant
  
  Darold A. Treffert
  
  The "islands of genius" of savant syndrome, in which extraordinary ability and severe disability co-exist in the same individual, have always raised questions about brain plasticity and dormant potential within us all...
• Smarter Kids
  
  Carol S. Dweck
  
  Studies on Child Psychology have yielded breakthrough discoveries related to the malleability of intelligence. First, teaching students that their intelligence is expandable helps boost their learning, performance on tests of...
• Cortical Dynamics for Courage
  
  Roger A. Drake
  
  Shyness is characterized by relative brain activation of the right prefrontal cortex (Buss et al, 2003; Schmidt, 1999). This is supported by research that implicates this region for passivity, pessimism, and inhibition of...
• Tackling Stress to Improve Cognition
  
  Carmen Sandi
  
  Tackling stress can be a powerful tool to improve cognitive performance. This idea is grounded on accumulated knowledge, indicating that stress is a very strong modulator of cognition (de Kloet et al., 1999; Sandi, 2004)...
• Enhancement, Treatmemt and PTSD
  
  Dan J. Stein
  
  Advances in psychopharmacology and their potential use for enhancement purposes raise philosophical questions (Stein, 2008). Analogous issues are raised by other medical technologies. The dangers of over-medicalization...
• Augmenting the Energetics of the Brain
  
  Pierre J. Magistretti
  
  The brain has very high energetic demands. Essentially, one sixth of the energy of the organism is consumed by this organ; accordingly over 10% of cardiac output and of the organism's glucose consumption are necessary to...
• Nutrition for Cognition
  
  Jeroen A. J. Schmitt and Johannes le Coutre
  
  Nutrition and cognition go together an entire lifetime. Nevertheless, specific periods in the life of a cognescent brain involve enhanced interaction between nutrition and cognition. In particular, brain development and aging...
• The Stem Cell Dream for Cognition
  
  Angélique Bordey
  
  The field of stem cells has exploded with the New Millennium. The present excitement is well-founded, and began with pioneering studies using adult bone marrow stem cells to treat blood disorders four decades ago, and...
• The Walk Again Project
  
  Miguel A. L. Nicolelis
  
  During the past decade, neuroscientists have designed, implemented, and tested the operation of real-time brain-machine interfaces (BMI) in a variety of experimental paradigms (Carmena et al., 2003; Chapin et al., 1999...
• The Future of Deep Brain Stimulation
  
  Zvi Israel
  
  Since its introduction in the 1980's, Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) has proven to be a safe and effective therapy for tremor, dystonia and many of the motor symptoms of advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). DBS parameters...
• Brain - Computer - Interfaces and Neurofeedback
  
  Niels Birbaumer and Eilon Vaadia
  
  Brain-computer interfaces (BCI) or brain-machine interfaces (BMI) are using brain activity measured invasively or non-invasively to drive external devices, mainly computers, robots or neuroprostheses. Neurofeedback trains...
• Sensory Stimulation Therapy
  
  Tobias Kalisch, Martin Tegenthoff and Hubert R. Dinse
  
  It is well established that training and practicing improves sensorimotor and cognitive functions as well as perceptual and motor abilities. For several years, we have been developing learning protocols...
• Augmenting Cognition with Music
  
  Marcel Zentner
  
  The Mozart Effect: The term Mozart effect, though originating from the work of the French physician Alfred Tomatis, acquired momentum especially after a study conducted at the University of California (Irvine) in early...
• Dance Therapy for Cognitive Enhancement in the Elderly
  
  Jan C. Kattenstroth, Tobias Kalisch, Martin Tegenthoff and Hubert R. Dinse
  
  Our work focuses on the functional relevance of neural plasticity and the possibility of modulating plastic processes for augmenting sensorimotor and cognitive performance. Here we report our studies...
• Improvisation for Neurorehabilitation
  
  Son Preminger
  
  Prefrontal lobe damage, results in various impairments in cognitive-executive, behavioral, emotional, self regulatory, and meta-cognitive functions (Stuss, 2006; Stuss and Knight, 2002). These include...
• Sleep: The Easy Road to Cognitive Enhancement
  
  Robert Stickgold
  
  The last ten years have produced a wealth of research on the role of sleep in cognition, primarily in sleep-dependent memory "consolidation". More accurately, these studies suggest that there are a wide range of...
• Brain State Conditioning in Neurodegenerative Disease
  
  Vijendra Singh and Lee Gerdes
  
  Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) affect the lives of millions of people worldwide. Patients show a wide range of neurological and psychiatric problems, including...
• Cognitive Enhancement for older adults
  
  Jerri D. Edwards
  
  This article summarizes research on cognitive speed of processing training for older adults and indicates directions for future research efforts. Research on cognitive training points to the ability of older adults to...
• Video Game Based Learning
  
  Daphne Bavelier and C. Shawn Green
  
  Over the past three decades the prevalence of video games in our society has increased exponentially. While for most of that time the predominant societal attitude was that video games were something for 'kids,' or more...
• Total Control in Virtual Reality and Robotics
  
  Olaf Blanke and Roger Gassert
  
  Recent developments in virtual reality (VR) and robotics are opening novel technology and neuroscience-inspired avenues for human enhancement of sensorimotor and cognitive function. VR integrates real-time computer...
• Closed-loop Augmented Reality for Movement Disorders
  
  Yoram Baram
  
  Neurological disorders, such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and multiple sclerosis (MS), often entail mobility impairment. Traditionally, gait rehabilitation, whether by means of physiotherapy or pharmacological treatment, has...
• Cognitive Enhancement and Longevity
  
  Kayoko Ishii
  
  Human lifespan has been already augmented. Even in the group of mammals living relatively long to grow old, the length of post-reproductive survival in human is exceptionally long. Some people propose...
• Pharmaceutical Cognitive Enhancement and Society
  
  Paul A. Martin and Simon J. Williams
  
  There appears to be a growing consensus that the age of cognitive-enhancing drugs (CEDs) is upon us or imminent, with a perception that a number of relatively safe products are already in widespread use and...
• Research Highlights
  
• Feature Scientist: Michael Merzenich
  
  Difficult to believe, but Michael Merzenich has retired. Born in 1942, he grew up fascinated by science, and at 26 years, earned his PhD in Physiology at Johns Hopkins Medical School in the lab of Vernon Mountcastle...
• Book Recommendation
  
• Global Research
  
  The world map shows the location of the authors that contributed articles on Augmenting Cognition.

Industry

• The Augmenting Cognition Industry
  
  Augmented Cognition Technologies (ACTs) are forming the basis of a rapidly emerging industry. Frontiers' research division set out to explore this new market to bring...
• Preparing Society for the Cognitive Age
  
  Alvaro Fernandez
  
  Groundbreaking cognitive neuroscience research has occurred over the last 20 years - without parallel growth of consumer awareness and appropriate professional dissemination. "Cognition" remains an elusive concept with...
• Industry Highlights
  
• On the Horizon
  
• Statistics
  
• Global Industry
  
  In the Global Industry section you wil find some key companies involved in Augmenting Cognition from across the world. These companies are developing treatments, cures and technologies...

Foundation

• Global Neuroscience Funding
  
  In order to get the bigger picture of the most supported research related to restoring and augmenting cognition and the amounts invested in this field from both public and private sources, we refer to...
• A Brief Look - AugCog Past and Future
  
  Cali M. Fidopiastis, Sae Schatz and Denise Nicholas
  
  The field of Augmented Cognition (AugCog) owes much to the research visions and subsequent funding opportunities provided by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) agencies...
• Foundation Highlights
  
• Statistics
  
• Global Foundation
  
  The map provides a non-exhaustive global view of some of the major Founda- tions suporting research into restoring and augmenting...

Frontiers Activity Reports

• Frontiers Journal Report
  
  Frontiers is announcing the launch of 9 new journals, led by 11 new highly motivated Editors. The most frequently read journal is Frontiers in Human Neuroscience...
• Editors on the Frontiers
  
  Frontiers is starting its second year at top speed. Around 2,000 of the world's top researchers from 45 countries now edit Frontiers. You can view Frontiers Editorial Board at any time on the Frontiers website...