Neuroscientists have never fully understood how new adult brain cells are able to traverse the relatively long distances they need to cover in order to reach their final locations within the brain. LiveScience.com is reporting today that a recent study of mouse brains co-authored by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco sheds some …
Tag: neuroscience
Jan 06 2006
Astrocytes Can Independently Control Blood Flow
Astrocytes, also known as astroglia, are star-shaped cells in the brain whose function and importance has never been fully understood by neuroscientists. Once thought to be housekeeping cells under the control of neurons, LiveScience.com is reporting today that researchers have found that astrocytes can directly and independently perform the critical function of controlling blood flow …
Jan 02 2006
Continuous Visual Guidance Important for Walking
A recent experiment by researchers from Great Britain finds that ongoing visual feedback during walking plays a more critical role than once thought. It was previously believed that vision was crucial only while lifting your foot to take a step and not as important once the target of your step was determined and your foot …
Dec 28 2005
Neuron Growth Occurs in Adult Brains
Researchers from the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT have recently found that contrary to popular belief, neurons do grow in mature brains. It had been widely accepted that structural remodeling of neurons does not occur in adult brains, but the discovery that it does could lead to advances in treatments of spinal …
Dec 22 2005
Scientists Can Predict Your Thoughts
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have done a study confirming a long held belief by most neuroscientists that during memory recall the brain “time travels” back to the state it was in when the memory was formed. As reporterd by LiveScience.com today, the scientists have found that by recording the brain activity of people …
Dec 20 2005
Retrograde Signal Strengthens Synapses
Researchers from MIT studying brain plasticity, the reorganization of brain cells and their connections over time, have recently discovered a “backtalk” or retrograde signal from post-synaptic to pre-synaptic neurons that plays a crucial role in synapse development. It has long been known that synaptic strength, the strength of the connections between neurons, plays a central …
Dec 13 2005
Mice With Human Brain Cells
It was announced yesterday that in an effort to create better models for studying neurological disorders, a team of scientists from the Salk Institute led by Dr. Fred Gage have successfully bio-engineered mice to be born with a small percentage of human brain cells. The process involves injecting 2-week-old mouse embryos with roughly 100,000 human …
Dec 04 2005
Neurons That Tune Out Background Noise
LiveScience.com is reporting that researchers from the University of Washington have discovered neurons in the brainstems of rats whose sole function is to identify new sounds while ignoring ongoing and predictable background noises. The scientists believe these specialized neurons are present in all vertebrates, including humans in whom they probably play a significant role in …
Nov 28 2005
Predicting What You’ll Need to Remember
LiveScience.com is reporting that a new brain-imaging study performed by researchers at MIT has concluded that if you predict a memory will need to be recalled as you store that memory, you will in fact be able to remember it better later. In other words, people who make more accurate memory predictions are better learners. …
Nov 24 2005
A Thought Bouncer for Your Brain
Scientists from the University of Oregon have discovered that a person’s memory capacity is not just dependent on how much information their brain can store, but also on how well they are able to filter their thoughts to focus on what they are trying to remember. In other words, people with an effective “thought bouncer” …