Jon Hamilton

Millions of deep-water fish die every year because of barotrauma, a condition divers know as "the bends." But scientists say descending devices can help fish survive a trip to the surface.

There is no effective treatment for the rare genetic disorder fragile X syndrome, so two parents created a foundation to fund research. But they found there's no easy road to a cure.

An online contest for data scientists has produced a great leap forward in efforts to predict when someone with epilepsy is going to have a seizure. The winning team used data on electrical activity in the brain to develop an algorithm that predicted seizures 82 percent of the time.

That ...

Billionaire Paul Allen's new institute in Seattle will examine how the cells in your body work — and how and why they malfunction, leading to tumors, Alzheimer's and other diseases.

When Bob Smithson could no longer breathe on his own and surgeons wanted to operate, his doctor decided to take a chance on a different treatment. That decision gave Bob another chance at life.

A neurologist's unorthodox thinking led to an experimental drug that allows trapped nerve fibers to grow again. And that growth helps amplify signals that restored movement in laboratory rats.

The area of the brain that recognizes faces can use sound instead of sight. That recent discovery suggests facial recognition is so important to humans that it's part of our most basic wiring.

Almost a century after the discovery that sleep helps us remember things, scientists are beginning to understand why.

During sleep, the brain produces chemicals that are important to memory and relives events we want to remember, scientists reported this week at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in Washington D.C.

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Faulty forms of the brain protein tau trigger tangles inside and outside brain cells of Alzheimer's patients. Scientists say figuring out how to stop bad tau's spread from cell to cell might be key.

Millions of children aren't going to school because of Ebola. The fear is that some kids will never return to class. For others, the time off means putting their career dreams on hold.

The town of Foya has had no new cases in a month. Credit goes to a care center and an ongoing effort to calm fears and allow family members to communicate with patients — and view the dead.

The rate for routine vaccinations of babies used to be 97 percent. Now the figure is 27 percent. Blame it on the rippling effects of the oubreak.

The million-plus healthy residents of Liberia's capital, Monrovia, are doing their best to maintain their lives in a city where Ebola has killed more than 1,300.

There's one place in Monrovia where people continue to gather together despite the threat of Ebola: Sunday church service. One reverend knows firsthand how the smallest mistake can be deadly.

Eighteen months after its launch, President Obama's plan to explore the mysteries of the human brain is finally taking shape. During separate events Tuesday, the White House and National Institutes of Health offered details about which projects are being funded and why.

At a morning press conference, NIH officials ...

If you have a problem with your heart or liver, the diagnosis will likely be made by a lab test or medical image. But neurologist Allan Ropper says those tests often fail when it comes to the brain.

Justin McCowan wanted to help find a cure for Alzheimer's because it's more common in people like him who have Down syndrome. He died in his sleep last week at age 40.

With rising seas, cities like Satellite Beach, Fla., are debating options: defend the shoreline to avoid destruction, or retreat, withdrawing homes and businesses from the water's edge.

By age 40, the brains of people with Down syndrome start to resemble those of Alzheimer's patients. Scientists hope to speed up Alzheimer's drug development by studying people with Down syndrome.

Children learn their most important lessons on the playground, not in the classroom, researchers say.