A new study suggests that our ability to respond appropriately to intended harms is seated in a brain region associated with regulating emotions. The finding offers a new piece to the puzzle of how the human brain constructs morality. Among the study's authors is DANIEL TRANEL of the University of Iowa.

In her book "The Creating Brain: The Neuroscience of Genius," NANCY C. ANDREASEN, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist at the University of Iowa, argues that the same attributes that help artists create -- such as openness and sensitivity -- may also make them more susceptible to mental and emotional problems. Back Stage is a Web site devoted to covering the theatrical industry.