New numbers released by Centers for Disease Control reveal that the number of children who have been diagnosed with autism has nearly doubled since 2002. Susan Hyman, chairperson of the Autism Subcommittee of the American Academy of Pediatrics; Dr. Perri Klass, pediatrician and professor of Journalism and Pediatrics at New York University; and Benedict Carey, science writer for our partner The New York Times, take a closer look at what's behind the numbers.

According to new research published in the New England Journal of Medicine, daily doses of a drug commonly used to treat Parkinson's disease has shown to improve function in people with brain injuries. The large-scale study showed that the drug, amantadine, can make a measurable difference for patients suffering from traumatic brain injuries. Doctors have experimented with drugs like amantadine to treat such patients, but this is the first time a study proved its effectiveness.

The Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM) is a dictionary that defines and classifies all mental health disorders. First published in 1952, the DSM is used by everyone from clinicians to pharmaceutical companies to policy makers. Since its inception, the DSM has been revised only four times — one such occasion was in 1980 when homosexuality was no longer defined as a mental disorder. In the fifth edition, another big change may come to the DSM. Autism is up for a redefinition which could potentially reduce the number of people considered "autistic" by half.

Two Cornell researchers used a large-scale study of posts on Twitter to track the world's mood shifts, and the discovered a pattern that transcends nationalities and climate. The study focused on Tweets from two million people, in 84 countries, posted at all times of day, month, and year. They found some fascinatingly similar patterns. Might their study have any implications for the way people do research going forward?

According to a new report, scientists have come one step closer in the development of neuroprosthetics that may help restore memory loss. A brain implant, tested in rats, successfully restored lost memories and strengthened old ones. Its use in humans will require far more research. Benedict Carey, science reporter for The New York Times, explains the findings.

Science fiction or science? A new report in the well-respected Journal of Personality and Social Psychology cites evidence for what seems to be extrasensory perception. This has caused some outrage in the scientific community, with one leading voice calling the decision to publish the article "pure craziness."

After 18 years of being held captive, how will Jaycee Dugard break from the emotional and mental stresses that built up during that time?  We talk to Benedict Carey, science reporter for The New York Times, to look at if and how a person begins to return to normalcy after years of torment.

Read Ben's piece on the psychology of recovery on the front page of today's New York Times: "For Longtime Captives, a Complex Road Home."

The Army is starting a new program to help improve the mental health and mental strength of its soldiers. Every one of the Army's 1.1 million soldiers will be required take part in this intensive training to improve emotional resiliency. Programs similar to this have been used in schools for the past fifteen years, but can a program used on children work on our troops? Joining us is Karen Reivich, co-director of the Penn Resiliency Project and a research associate in thePositive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, who put together this program. Also joining us is Ben Carey, science reporter for the New York Times.

For more, read Ben Carey's article, Mental Stress Training Is Planned for U.S. Soldiers , in the New York Times.

Duped. Tricked. Hornswoggled. Deceived. How can you tell if someone is fooling you? According to a new article out in today's Science Times, it's all in how they tell the story. The new focus on interview content grows in part out of a frustration with previous methods that studied behavior — averted eyes, fidgeting, or sweating—and a lack in helpful technological advances. The more important point: How much detail does someone give you when they tell their story? Joining The Takeaway with more on this story is New York Times science reporter Benedict Carey. Listen in, and then try the technique out on a con-artist (or first date) near you.

Benedict Carey's article is part of the Science Times' special Forensics section. Read his article, "Judging Honesty By Words, Not Fidgets," and check out the rest of The New Forensics issue.

Also, if lying appeals to you, listen to Radio Lab's show on Deception.

Beating a polygraph test may not get you in the clear if you're lying. But just in case, watch this video for pointers.

Suppose that scientists could erase certain memories by tinkering with a single substance in your brain. They could make you forget a chronic fear, a traumatic loss, even a bad habit. Benedict Carey, science writer for The New York Times, joins The Takeaway with a report on researchers in Brooklyn who have created an experimental drug that helps you forget.

For more on this fascinating process, read Benedict Carey's article, Brain Researchers Open Door to Editing Memory, in today's New York Times.

You may remember (or not!) that Lacuna Inc. has been promoting a similar process for some time:


From the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Talk about turning a notion on its head. What if your coveted winter vacation—the time when you leave the bitter, snowy cold behind and head for a few days of palm trees—could actually add to your winter blues? New research in psychology shows that interruptions from things we dislike may make us detest them all the more, whereas interruptions from doing something we really adore say, watching an episode of Friday Night Lights may highlight our appreciation. Benedict Carey, a science reporter from the New York Times, joins The Takeaway to explain.

Read his story on the dreaded commercial break Liked the Show? Maybe It Was the Commercials in today's New York Times.

Psychiatry's number one diagnostic manual is being re-written -- and it's making everyone crazy. Gender identification disorder may be in, while sleepwalking disorder is on the outs. By 2012, the American Psychiatric Association hopes to have published a new edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) -- the diagnostic manual used to determine if a patient has a mental disorder. Proposed changes are already being challenged by patients, insurance companies, and the pharmaceutical industry. The New York Times science journalist Benedict Carey explains.

For more information, read Benedict Carey's article in today's New York Times.

A man known only as H.M. is the reason we know as much as we do about the brain.