Science News: Our Weekly Picks From Around the Web

Published on January 27, 2012 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments
Keeping brains active may help fight Alzheimer’s plaque
People who keep their brains active throughout life appear to have lower levels of the protein that forms brain clogging amyloid plaque.
thechart.blogs.cnn.com  (01/24/2012)
How brain adapts to stress
Washington: Scientists have discovered a new mechanism that helps the brain adapt to stress.
zeenews.india.com (01/26/2012)
Stem Cell Tech May Aid Alzheimer’s Research
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have developed a technology using stem cells to more accurately model what goes wrong in diseased brain cells of Alzheimer’s sufferers. 
abcnews.go.com (01/25/2012)
Brain Cells Of Mice Controlled With Wireless Router In New Research
A startup has created “a wireless router for the brain” that allows researchers to control brain cells in mice and other small lab animals.
www.huffingtonpost.com  (01/24/2012)
Scanning the Psychedelic Brain
Brain scans reveal the surprising secret of magic mushrooms’ hallucinogenic effect.
the-scientist.com  (01/23/2012)

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See You at the Winter Conference on Brain Research

Published on January 19, 2012 in MBF Company News. 0 Comments

Neuroscientists from around the globe are gathering in Snowbird, Utah this weekend for the 45th Winter Conference on Brain Research. We are excited to be attending the conference as well as presenting our software. Our exhibit will feature a computer station with all of our software including the newest versions of Neurolucida, Stereo Investigator, and AutoNeuron, as well as AutoSpine, our new tool for automatically identifying and counting dendritic spines. We will also be showcasing an impressive array of different research carried out with our products. Stop by our exhibit to meet Chief Scientific Applications Officer, Geoff Greene, who will be on hand for personalized demonstrations all week long.

“My favorite thing about the Winter Conference on Brain Research is that it is a small meeting with very focused sessions on specific topics. Yet, there is a wide spectrum of these sessions, so there is always a lot of interesting things going on at once,” said MBF Bioscience President, Jack Glaser.

The 45th Annual Winter Conference on Brain Research runs from January 21-26, 2012 in Snowbird, Utah. Let us know if you’ll be there!

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Science News: Our Weekly Picks From Around the Web

Published on January 13, 2012 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: .

How the brain can make quitting alcohol harder
If you like to drink but want to stop and don’t seem to have to willpower to do so, it may be because chemicals in your brain are telling you to order another pint, new research suggests.
thechart.blogs.cnn.com 01/12/2012

Internet addiction changes brain similar to cocaine
A new brain scan study shows not only can that be the case, but also that Internet addiction might cause the same brain changes that are seen in alcoholics and drug addicts.
www.cbsnews.com 01/12/2012

Brain Aging: What’s Nintendo Got to Do With It?
Grandpa and grandma may be wrestling the grandkids for the Nintendo, thanks to a study showing Brain Age can improve cognitive function
healthland.time.com 01/12/2012

Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson’s Improves Motion and Mood, Reduces Medications
A new study reveals Deep Brain Stimulation symptoms and reduce medications for patients implanted with the device.
www.healthcanal.com 01/13/2012

Really? The Claim: Grief Can Cause a Heart Attack
The emotional pain of losing a loved one can take a toll on the heart, at least metaphorically. But can it trigger an actual heart attack?
well.blogs.nytimes.com 01/09/2012

Iron Builds a Better Brain
Brain imaging and gene analyses in twins reveal that white matter integrity is linked to an iron homeostasis gene.
the-scientist.com 01/09/2012

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Neurolucida Helps Florida Researchers Reconstruct a Region of the Rat Brain

Published on January 10, 2012 in Customer News. 0 Comments Tags: , .

by Dan Peruzzi, PhD

A rat uses its whiskers to get information about its environment. As it scurries along the subway tracks, or burrows into a dumpster, its whiskers send signals to ascending parts of its brain that let it know for example, whether it is safe to jump over that gap or not.

Scientists at the Max Planck Florida Institute are studying the functional responses of neurons in the rat vibrissal cortex. Using a “pipeline” method, developed to use data obtained from animals to recreate parts of the brain “in silico” (1), they have constructed a 3D model of a vibrissal cortical column. The scientists used Neurolucida® to trace neurons so they could be classified according to dendritic morphology and cell body location.

In their paper (2) “Cell Type-Specific Three-Dimensional Structure of Thalamocortical Circuits in a Column of Rat Vibrissal Cortex,” the scientists classified nine cell types in the barrel cortex, a region of the vibrissal area of the rodent somatosensory cortex. They used these cell-types and parameters such as 3D cell location and quantity, spine and bouton densities, and definitions of pre and post-synaptic partners, to assemble an anatomically realistic network that included synapses at points where boutons and spines overlapped.  Continue reading ‘Neurolucida Helps Florida Researchers Reconstruct a Region of the Rat Brain’

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Science News: Our Weekly Picks From Around the Web

Published on January 6, 2012 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: .

 

The Teenage Brain: Why It’s OK That Teens Just Want To Have Sex, Drive Fast And Act Crazy
A recent National Geographic article explored the evolutionary logic of teenage thought, and why thrill-seeking and risk-taking may be beneficial.
www.huffingtonpost.com (01/04/2012)

Brain’s connective cells are much more than glue: Glia cells also regulate learning and memory
New research indicates that glia cells are “the brain’s supervisors.” By regulating the synapses, they control the transfer of information between neurons, affecting how the brain processes information.
www.sciencedaily.com (12/29/2012)

Brain function can start declining ‘as early as age 45′
The brain’s ability to function can start to deteriorate as early as 45, suggests a study in the British Medical Journal.
www.bbc.co.uk (01/05/2012)

More evidence that deep brain stimulation may help treat mental illness
A new study is advancing the possibility that mentally ill patients who do not respond to conventional therapies may benefit from battery-powered electrodes surgically implanted in their brains.
thechart.blogs.cnn.com (01/02/2012)

Study pinpoints Ritalin’s influence
Millions of individuals diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are helped by methylphenidate, the stimulant better known as Ritalin. Now researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have pinpointed the area of the brain in which Ritalin does its work.
www.news.wisc.edu (01/05/2012)

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Science News: Our Weekly Picks From Around the Web

Published on December 30, 2011 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Fatty food bad for you? It may be a no-brainer
Researchers have found that there’s a part of your body that might actually shrink when you eat too much fast food. Unfortunately, it’s your brain.
news.nationalpost.com  12/28/2011

Schizophrenic subjects’ cells wound tight
A discovery that DNA stays too tightly wound in certain brain cells of schizophrenic subjects offers promise of more effective treatment
www.upi.com 12/29/2011

‘Rare’ Brain Disorder Might Not Be So Rare Say Researchers
HDLS, or hereditary diffuse leukoencephalopathy with spheroids may be more common than was previously thought.
www.care2.com  12/29/2011

Brain Imaging May Provide New Biomarker of Huntington’s Disease
A set of objective, validated biomarkers to evaluate Huntington’s disease (HD) progression has been developed that may enhance the development of drugs to delay disease onset and severity.
www.medscape.com  12/28/2011

Aging Brains Match Youth in Some Mental Tasks

Older people slow down to avoid making errors, but there may not be a uniform decline in all cognitive processes
www.scientificamerican.com  12/28/2011

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MBF Bioscience Poll No. 6: Forget About It

Published on December 28, 2011 in Uncategorized. 2 Comments Tags: .

Wouldn’t it be nice to start the New Year with a fresh mind? Scientific America details “8 Ways to Forget Your Troubles” on its blog Streams of Consciousness. “Forgetting is essential to our ability to think, to remember what is important to us, and to remain calm and happy,” writes author Ingrid Wickelgren. She calls her tips for forgetting “oublionics.” Select your go-to method for forgetting from the list below, and check out the article on Scientific America. Got a tip of your own? Share it in the comments section.

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Science News: Our Weekly Picks From Around the Web

Published on December 23, 2011 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Who you calling bird brain? Pigeons can count as well as monkeys, claims study
There’s a strong case for the phrase ‘bird brain’ not applying to pigeons, as researchers have discovered that they are able to count as well as monkeys.
www.dailymail.co.uk  12/23/2011

“Baby brain” syndrome is real… and it makes you a better mother
Pregnant women DO suffer short-term memory loss, new research claims…
www.dailymail.co.uk  12/23/2011

Timing is key in the proper wiring of the brain, Yale researchers find
Neurobiologists at Yale say the timing of neural circuit wiring is crucial to the development of vision and perhaps to other key neural processes
www.bizcommunity.com  12/23/2011

No more blind mice? Prosthetic device sends images directly to brain – and could help humans
Blind mice could be a thing of the past thanks to a new prosthetic device that’s been tested on the animals.
www.dailymail.co.uk 12/23/2011

Neuroscientists identify a master controller of memory
One gene appears to regulate the brain’s ability to form new memories.
web.mit.edu  11/22/2011

Multiple Sclerosis Linked to Different Area of Brain
Radiology researchers have found evidence that multiple sclerosis affects an area of the brain that controls cognitive, sensory and motor functioning apart from the disabling damage caused by the disease’s visible lesions.
www.sciencedaily.com  11/22/2011

Scientists Find Key Brain Differences in Dyslexia
The Brains of People With Dyslexia May Have Trouble Processing Sounds, Especially Speech
www.webmd.com  12/21/2011

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Meet the Team: Kristin Connors, Marketing Coordinator

Published on December 21, 2011 in MBF Company News. 0 Comments

Name: Kristin Connors

Position: Marketing Coordinator

How long have you been working at MBF Bioscience? One year.

What do you do? Although the projects I work on vary day-to-day, the heart of my job is communication. To researchers who don’t know us, I communicate who MBF is and what we do. To our customers—many of whom we call friends—I let them know about events we host or sponsor that can increase their knowledge of stereology or neuron tracing, and keep them up to date on new products and services that could help them with their research.

What’s your role at the Society for Neuroscience’s Annual Meeting? I plan and organize our presence at the meeting and I manage our booth during the meeting.  How did this year’s show go? The meeting in Washington, D.C. went well for us. We were very busy giving demonstrations, answering questions, meeting new people and catching up with friends.

What do you like most about your job? I love that I get to work on different projects and see them through from start to finish. I enjoy hearing feedback and suggestions from our customers. I’m also in a unique position in that I get to work with colleagues across all departments. It’s also great to work in such a customer-focused environment.

How do you spend your free time? I enjoy spending time outdoors—skiing is my favorite activity—but I also like to run, hike, and explore the beautiful state of Vermont.

What was the last vacation you took? I went to Utah to visit friends. We drove across the southern part of the state to hike, camp, and visit National Parks. It was amazing!

If you enjoyed this article, like MBF Bioscience on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

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Science News: Our Weekly Picks From Around the Web

Published on December 16, 2011 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: .

Should you let your baby cry it out?
New study claims that letting babies cry — without intervening — could lead to higher incidences of ADHD, anxiety and developmental disorders.
www.mnn.com 12/16/2011

Experimental Magnetic Pulses May Help Heal A Brain After Stroke
A little brain stimulation by electromagnetic coils seems to speed up recovery from a stroke.
www.npr.org 12/15/2011

Alzheimer’s Test can Monitor Brain Function in Parkinson’s Disease 
The process to classify the pattern where the cells in the brain are lost or damaged in Alzheimer’s using MRIs are capable of predicting cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease, reveals new study.
www.medindia.net 12/16/2011

Stuttering Starts in the Brain
New research is suggesting that atypical brain function is a fundamental aspect of speech production tasks for adults who stutter.
www.futurity.org 12/16/2011

Widespread Brain Atrophy Detected in Parkinson’s Disease With Newly Developed Structural Pattern
Atrophy in the hippocampus, the region of the brain known for memory formation and storage, is evident in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients.
www.sciencedaily.com 12/12/2011

We do have bigger brains than Neanderthals did ?
Study through CT scans suggests we are distinguished by different mental capacities.
www.msnbc.msn.com 12/13/2011

Nine Stubborn Brain Myths That Just Won’t Die, Debunked by Science
The brain is a mystery we’ve been trying to solve for ages, and the desire to unlock its secrets has led to vast amounts of misinformation.
lifehacker.com 12/12/2011

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