Great Diseases: Neurological Diseases

Your school or local public library is always a great place to start when looking for resources to search for science and health information. Ask your local librarian for help!

All of the following links are to public, free, full-text resources. You do not need to belong to, or have access to a library to search these resources or download the articles. You are also welcome to search Google Scholar, but be aware that you may not be able to access the full-text of many of the items you find.

General Science and Health Resources

Expert

• PubMed Central - PMC is a free full-text archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature
• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) - DOAJ is an online directory that provides access to quality free, peer-reviewed journals
• Google Scholar - Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature, though it may not be freely accessible
• Drug Information Portal - gives users a gateway to selected drug information from the U.S. National Library of Medicine and other key U.S. Government agencies

Consumer Health

• MedlinePlus - MedlinePlus offers reliable, up-to-date health information, anytime, anywhere, for free to patients and their families and friends
• Healthfinder.gov - resources on a wide range of health topics selected from approximately 1,400 government and non-profit organizations to bring you the best, most reliable health information on the Internet
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - provides expert and consumer health-related information on all areas of health and disease

Neuroscience Specific Resources

Expert

• Neuroscience Information Framework - a search engine focusing on neuroscience resources from professional literature AND the web
• Educational Resources In Neuroscience (ERIN) - explore this comprehensive source of educational materials to enhance teaching and learning in neuroscience
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - conducts research on neurological disorders and provides access to their information from the public website
• National Institute on Drug Abuse - explores essential questions about drug abuse, including understanding how drugs work in the brain and body, and disseminating findings to the general public
• The Dana Foundation - private philanthropic organization that supports brain research through grants, publications, and educational programs. Explore the information available by looking at the different groups in the top right navigation.

Consumer Health

• National Institute of Mental Health - Esily find information on mental health disorders and statitics under the Health & Education menu tab
• BrainFacts.org - seeks to share what neuroscientists know, explore what they don’t yet know fully, and discuss how today’s research advances understanding
  
• BrainWeb - a section of The Dana Foundation website dedicated to Consumer Health information
• Genes to Cognition - check out the 3D labeled brain and different disorders with gene, anatomy and biochemical components of the diseases outlined
• Neuroscience for Kids - Not just for kids! The information on this site is suitable for middle school through freshmen in college

Video and Audio Consumer Health Resources

• TEDTalks Neuroscience - a collection of TED Talks (and more) on the topic of neuroscience
• Neuropod - the free neuroscience podcast from the academic journal, Nature.
• Brain Science Podcast - The most recent 25 episodes are free. Scroll down to the bottom of the page of past episodes to find them.
• Science360 - a video collection from the National Science Foundation, use the search box to see if there are any trending neurological topics

Boston Public Library

The BPL has some databases with full-text health information. To access these, you will need a BPL card and an electronic PIN. You can set these up at the BPL in Copley Square or any BPL Branch location.

You can see the list of electronic access resources they have from this web page. I recommend speaking with a librarian to get advice on which resources would be best for your particular topic, but you may want to try:

• Health & Wellness Resource Center
• Health Reference Center Academic
• Nursing Resource Center

Minuteman Library System

The MMLS also pays for specialized full-text resources. You will need proof of residency in any town with a library in the system (Newton, Somerville, Cambridge, and many more) in order to get a card with an access code on the back.

I recommend going to your specific library and speaking to a librarian, since some libraries have access to databases other libraries in the system do not. A brief list of some databases that all MMLS patrons can access include:

• Science in Context
• Nursing and Allied Health Collection Resource Center
• Health Reference Center Academic
• Health and Wellness Resource Center
• Expanded Academic ASAP

You can usually access these by going to the library homepage and finding the link for databases.

Fort Wayne Area

The Walter E. Helmke Library at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) is open to the public and Indiana residents may apply for borrowing privileges. Check for hours, driving and parking directions.

The library’s extensive array of scholarly databases with full-text access and e-resources are available for visitors’ use from within the library.

Indiana State Residents

Indiana residents may also take advantage of the free, state-supported INSPIRE suite of databases and links or may consult their public library to inquire about access to other databases.