Imagine if you could switch your depression off like a light. Researchers did it in mice. They used optogenetics to gain more insight into how brain circuits work in cases of depression, and discovered that different types of stress trigger different activity patterns in the same brain circuit. Two papers published recently in the journal Nature describe how neuronal activity in specific brain circuits in mice...
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At first, all appears normal with the infant's development. But one day, around her first birthday, she stops making eye contact, her babbling comes to an end, she wrings her hands, and holds her breath. The child will likely survive into adulthood, but with Rett syndrome, she will lead a life with severe disabilities. The symptoms of this autism-related disorder are complex, and treatments are not...
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A 3D model of a mouse diaphragm appears on the monitor. Blood vessels branch out from entry points around the muscle's periphery, engaging in a graceful choreography with the nerve fibers that radiate from its center. Could these two networks work together to ensure healthy blood and oxygen flow to the muscle? Or do they exist independently of each other, house mates living side by side...
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Thirty-six high school students passionate about neuroscience will be competing at the 4th annual Vermont Brain Bee on February 9th, 2013 at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. Participants will be asked questions about a wide variety of topics: anatomy and development, learning and memory, stress, types of research, neurogenerative disorders, etc. They will also get the opportunity to engage in neuroscience activities and...
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If a head gets hit hard enough, the trauma occurs instantly. Neurons die, the brain swells as microglia cells rush to the damaged area, and the protective armor known as the blood brain barrier might even rupture. But it doesn't end there. Long term effects include cognitive impairment, loss of sensory processing, and susceptibility to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. Researchers at the University of South Florida say...
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No two neurons are exactly alike. Structure dictates function, so for scientists to fully understand the way different types of neurons work, they must first get to know their forms. Scientists at the Institute for Neuroscience and Medicine at the Research Center Jülich in Jülich, Germany use Neurolucida to perform neuron reconstruction, the most effective method for studying neuron morphology. In their paper “Improved biocytin labeling and...
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There is very little known about Huntington’s disease (HD), a fatal neurodegenerative disease leading to total physical and mental decline that affects 30,000 Americans today. Researchers have been developing transgenic mouse models to mimic human HD. A new model, the zQ175 knock-in, developed by Menalled et al. (2012) appears to more closely mimic human HD progression in the zQ175 KI than previous mouse models. A recently published...
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Neurotrophic factors may be the key to the cure for Parkinson’s, Huntington's, Alzheimer's, and other neurodegenerative disorders. Scientists have known this for over twenty years. But the question continues to loom – how does one safely and effectively deliver the neurotrophic factors to the damaged neurons? Dr. Raymond Bartus and his team at Ceregene, a biotechnology company in San Diego, have developed an innovative approach...
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Dr. Erich Jarvis spends a lot of time with songbirds. At his Duke University lab, Jarvis, a Stereo Investigator user, studies the neurobiology of vocal communication. Since his feathered friends learn song much like humans learn speech, they're a favorite model. But Dr. Jarvis says mice sing too, and new research says they can learn new tunes. “We investigated the mouse song system and discovered that it...
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Some children raised in orphanages grow up to develop social disorders, and there's not all that much modern medicine can do about it. But scientists at Harvard Medical School are working on gaining a better understanding of how early isolation affects a developing brain. Their research gives new insight into the mechanisms at play, and indicates that timing and healthy myelination are crucial. “Social isolation from...
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