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Scientists have found that a hormone associated with long life also seems to make people smarter. The gene strengthens the connections between brain cells, a process that's essential for learning.

Germany's famous Max Planck Society has opened a brain research institute in Jupiter, Fla. It's another move in the international competition to attract the best brain researchers.

People recover better from serious brain injuries if they've had more formal education, researchers say. They're not sure why book learning promotes cognitive reserve.

Ivan Soltesz studies epilepsy in mice, but says children with chronic seizures are his inspiration. He's closing in on a way to quell the seizures with light � and without drugs' side effects.

Scientists have figured out one reason women might be more vulnerable to Alzheimer's: A risk gene doubles women's chances of getting the disease but has minimal effect on men.

Childhood amnesia descends gradually � and later than you might think, researchers say. Many 7-year-olds have robust memories of experiences from when they were 3 or even younger.

In nine months the human brain grows from a single cell to more than 80 billion. Mapping how genes are activated gives scientists clues to the origins of mental disorders like autism.

The number of children diagnosed with autism keeps rising, but researchers warn that it may be just because we're getting better at recognizing and treating the disorder.

The organization of certain brain cells in children with autism seems already different from that of typical children by the sixth or seventh month of fetal development, a study hints.

The approach would recognize changes in behavior and in the brain. Right now there are no treatments that slow down the disease, but identifying high-risk patients early on could help with prevention.