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Brain
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What is Brain?

The brain sits at the center of biology, medicine, psychology, and philosophy, making it one of the most studied subjects across academic disciplines. Students in neuroscience, nursing, psychology, physiology, and pre-medical programs regularly write about the brain because it connects structural anatomy to behavior, cognition, and disease. Its complexity invites analysis from multiple angles simultaneously — how its physical structure produces thought, how injury or illness disrupts function, and how the mind relates to the body. Papers examining the hemispheres of the brain or the relationship between the mind and the body reflect the enduring tension between mechanistic and philosophical approaches that instructors expect students to engage seriously.

Archived papers on this topic take a range of approaches. Many focus on specific neurological conditions such as brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, and neurofibroma, using a clinical case-study framework to examine diagnosis, physiology, and treatment. Others take a comparative approach, exploring documented differences between the male and female brain or the effects of particular agents — such as inhalation anesthetics or Brilliant Blue G — on the central nervous system. Some papers broaden outward to examine how neurological and developmental conditions like autistic spectrum disorders affect the family unit and broader social systems.

A strong essay on the brain begins with a focused, arguable thesis rather than a broad survey of everything neuroscience covers. Evidence drawn from physiological mechanisms, clinical outcomes, and peer-reviewed research carries the most weight. The most common pitfall is conflating correlation with causation — particularly when discussing how brain differences affect behavior or ability — so careful, qualified claims are essential for academic credibility.

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Research Paper Doctorate
Benefits and ethical concerns of genetically engineered microbes
Genetic Engineering is a tool in the hands of man to break the species barriers to create a more productive and controllable world. This is a delicately balanced issue and unless we exercise enough restraint and…
Research Paper Doctorate
The nature versus nurture debate in human personality formation
¶ … standing and intense debate as to whether human personality is determined or influenced biologically or psychologically. Those in the pro-biological (or pro-nature) side contend that a person's genes have a stronger…
Research Paper Doctorate
Deliberate self-harm as a coping mechanism: recognition, patterns, and management strategies
Deliberate self-harm (DSH) or self-injurious behavior (SIB) involves intentional self-poisoning or injury, irrespective of the apparent purpose of the act. (Vela, Harris and Wright, 1983) Self-mutilation is also used…
Research Paper Doctorate
Ritalin use in treating childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
One of the most noticeable and prevalent disorders occurring in children is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is commonly diagnosed when the child begins to attend school or kindergarten, and occurs in…
Paper Masters
Twitter's role in the 2009 Iranian election protests
Words change meaning all the time. Take, for example, awful. Today, it means something terrible, but it used to mean filled with awe (aweful). In this case, a different spelling has led to a different interpretation.
Paper Undergraduate
Radiofrequency radiation from cell phones and cognitive effects
Cell phone usage is on the rise in developed countries, but the risk associated with the increased use is not yet determined. This paper examines the association between cell phones and two possible effects on the brain: cognitive function and brain cancer. Literature shows inconclusive data as many studies are contradictory. Possible reasons for inconsistencies are discussed.
Paper Undergraduate
Mind and body integration in Thurman, Armstrong, and Sacks
Mind and Body The three authors in this project approach three superficially disparate topics from three different approaches. Robert Thurman's "Wisdom" approaches the "self" from the uniquely Buddhist perspective, while Karen Armstrong's "Homo Religiousus" approaches major religions from an historical/world-theological perspective and Oliver Sacks' "The Mind's Eye: What the Blind See" addresses measurable, anecdotal experiences of adaptation by various subjects who have lost their eyesight. Despite their somewhat different approaches, all three authors lend significant supports to the vital coaction of mind and body. The crucial nature of the "self" is explored by each author, with Thurman's Buddhist emphasis on "self-less-ness," Armstrong's stress of self-emptying "kenosis" and Sacks' accent on the intimate interrelatedness of mind, brain, self and experience as seen through the effects of mind on body and body on mind. Secondly, all three authors reflect on the commonality of self-delusion, seen through Thurman's explanation of "I vs. I" and "I vs. Them", Armstrong's exploration of the human tendency to see the relationship with God as primarily a unique personal relationship, and Sacks' observations on the highly subjective nature of "reality" and its measurable effects on mind/body interaction in his blind subjects. Finally, these three authors discuss the ultimate centrality of "universality," Thurman accentuating the liberation of self-less-ness that enables us to develop beyond human limitations, Armstrong's significance of the universality of common religious experience, and Sacks' account of the power of internally and externally universal qualities for mind/body interaction. The differing areas examined by Thurman, Armstrong and Sacks all lead to the conclusion that the vital mind/body interaction is based in the genuine "self," is hampered by the common experience of "self-delusion," and is ultimately ideally universal.
Paper Undergraduate
Patient exposure to ionizing radiation from diagnostic imaging procedures
The objective of this study is to examine patient exposures to multiple diagnostic and/or treatment procedures. The study finds that there is an increased risk for cancer among patients receiving such diagnosis and treatment options and that children are at an increased risk for cancer when undergoing such imaging and diagnostic procedures.
Paper Undergraduate
Federal versus Model Penal Code insanity defense standards
The federal definition of insanity is considerably more stringent and considerably more difficult for a defendant to use than that of the American Law Institute's Model Penal Code definition.
Research Paper Doctorate
Avoidant personality disorder: neurobiological factors and DSM-IV diagnostic criteria
As per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), a certain case of avoidant personality disorder (APD) is featured by the existent sign of social inhibition, feeling of being…