The Brain and Neuroscience Basics

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Science of the Brain: How the Mind Works

It may seem like the Internet has an overwhelming number of links but it’s really quite simple compared to the human brain, which has roughly 1,000 trillion connections—about the same as the number of leaves on all the trees in a rainforest. Nevertheless, trying to navigate the Web in search of precisely what you’re looking for can make you feel like you’re lost in the forest. There are countless sites on brain structure, brain function, and brain fitness. You’ll see brain images of every type as well as photos of actual human and animal brains from every angle and perspective. There are plenty of teaching tools including games, experiments, labs, and lesson plans. You’ll even find a host of blogs about the brain. Using this guide to brain science on the Web can give you a “head” start.

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The Brain and Neuroscience Basics

The U.S. government declared the 1990s the “Decade of the Brain,” and the amount and quality of information on the Web have only increased since. The following sites are comprehensive, providing information about all aspects of neuroscience and the brain in a clear, succinct, and interesting way.

Dulcinea's Insight

Even the most basic sites may contain complex scientific terminology. If you need to find the meaning of a word, first check to see if the site has its own glossary. If not, check the Serendip Glossary of Terms for a comprehensive, alphabetized list of neuroscience terms and definitions.

Although all of the sites in this section are well organized and easy to navigate, they may at times seem overwhelming because of the vast amounts of information they provide. So before you start surfing, be sure to put your thinking cap on.

To get a summary of the site and its intended audience, it’s a good idea to start by reading the “About this Site” or “About Us” section, usually found through a link at the very top or bottom of the homepage. This should give you a general idea of the scope and type of information being presented.

You can often get a good initial assessment of the site’s content and complexity by checking its source. Sites created by professional societies and universities usually contain fairly advanced scientific information. Sites put out by nonprofit organizations or government institutes usually cater more to the general public.

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The Dana Foundation offers one-stop shopping for anything you could want or need to know about the brain. Choose from a wide selection of categories associated with the brain and then from a list of topics within that subject area to view a lengthy list of related articles, each of which can be read in its entirety for free. Access a large selection of books about the brain and the latest brain and neuroscience research. Also find brain resources for kids, brain resources for seniors, free newsletters, and podcasts.

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The Brain from Top to Bottom covers all aspects of the brain, divided into five categories: social, psychological, neurological, cellular, and molecular. Visit each category for informative and understandable graphics along with keyword links to pages with more extensive information on the particular topic. Choose “beginner,” “intermediate,” or “advanced” at the top of the page to access information about any of the five categories at an appropriate level of complexity.

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Society for Neuroscience has an “Information for the General Public” page that holds a vast collection of valuable resources. Take a look at “Brain Facts,” a 64-page primer on the brain and nervous system, or “Brain Backgrounders,” a series of articles that answer basic questions about neuroscience. Also find information about the latest research and breakthroughs in neuroscience, through a series of publications detailing “Brain Research Success Stories,” weekly news, and much more.

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Brain Facts and Figures , a Web site created by a professor at the University of Washington, is a compilation of virtually every neurostatistic imaginable. Look for information divided into five categories: the brain, the neuron, the spinal chord, the sensory apparatus, and the blood supply. Some of the data are quite practical and useful, others quite obscure. Then again, you never know when you might need to find the number of fibers in the optic nerve of an albino rat, the thickness of a giant squid’s axon membrane, or the specific gravity of cerebrospinal fluid.

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Who knew?

Oliver Sacks is a world-renowned neurologist and acclaimed best-selling author who maintains a self-titled Web site with a wealth of valuable resources pertaining to all aspects of brain science, neuroscience, and neurology. The site offers a free e-newsletter and also lets you submit questions directly to Dr. Sacks. His books include Awakenings, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, An Anthropologist on Mars, Seeing Voices, and his latest book Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain.

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