Considering advances in neuroscience through the lenses of law and human rights.

Advances in neuroscience should be subject to a robust public dialogue that includes attention to the legal and human rights issues raised by both research and its applications.

Regulating the boundaries of dual-use research.

A new U.S. policy for dual-use life science research defines what is permissible by scientists and the government.

Mania following vagus nerve stimulation: a case report and review of the literature.

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is an increasingly used therapy for patients with treatment-refractory epilepsy and depression. Hypomanic and manic symptoms are a rare but recognized adverse effect of VNS treatment. Here we describe a case in which VNS treatment in a patient with epilepsy and unipolar depression was associated with the rapid development of manic symptoms.

Commentary: Public outreach by the FDA: evaluating oversight of human drugs and medical devices.

As nanotechnology emerges as an important public policy issue, the FDA's relationship with society is about to be tested. Most would agree that fostering public input will be critical to developing effective public policy for nanotechnology. Yet, it will not be easy.

Private interests count too: commentary on "Science, democracy, and the right to research".

Along with concerns about the deleterious effects of politically driven government intervention on science are the intrusion of private sector interests into the conduct of research and the reporting of its results. Scientists are generally unprepared for the challenges posed by private interests seeking to advance their economic, political, or ideological agendas. They must educate and prepare themselves for assaults on scientific freedom, not because it is a legal right, but rather because social progress depends on it.

Olfactory and visual hallucinations in Parkinson's disease.

Management of hallucinations in patients with Parkinson disease is a challenge for both the physician and the patient. They occur in more than 30% of patients and they present mostly as visual hallucinations but other forms such as auditory and tactile hallucinations have been reported. We have reported an interesting patient with olfactory hallucinations and visual hallucinations.

Scientific societies and research integrity: what are they doing and how well are they doing it?

Scientific societies can play an important role in promoting ethical research practices among their members, and over the past two decades several studies have addressed how societies perform this role. This survey continues this research by examining current efforts by scientific societies to promote research integrity among their members. The data indicate that although many of the societies are working to promote research integrity through ethics codes and activities, they lack rigorous assessment methods to determine the effectiveness of their efforts.