In this issue, we launch a new feature called Disease Focus. Disease Focus articles will provide brief overviews of neural diseases or syndromes and describe how that disorder might be linked to basic neural mechanisms. We have introduced this feature because many neuroscientists' research programs focus on understanding basic brain mechanisms and have no clinical component. As a result, researchers might fail to identify connections between their findings and specific diseases and potential treatments. The goal of the Disease Focus is to help our readers identify such links and suggest new avenues of research to explore. By highlighting areas in which progress might be achieved, the Disease Focus may also influence young investigators in identifying research topics that could be profitable to pursue.
Because the most prevalent neural ailments, such as Alzheimer's disease, receive considerable attention in The Journal, the Disease Focus will generally highlight less prominent problems, where there is more likelihood of presenting readers with new information. Given the goals of the Disease Focus, most articles will focus on diseases for which some connection to basic mechanisms is known.
Contributions to the Disease Focus will be solicited by the Features Editor. Disease Focus articles will appear periodically in the features section of The Journal.
