How the brain works and how the brain is affected by disease are mysteries in large part because neurons are so dynamic, numerous, and complex. Neurolucida 360, a revolutionary, new software product from MBF Bioscience, enables neuroscientists to uncover more information about neurons at a faster rate. “Neurolucida 360 is a technological revolution” says Jack Glaser, President of MBF Bioscience. “It is the state-of-the-art tool for neuroscientists to analyze...
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We are happy to announce that Biolucida, our learning management software, is now hosting the Iowa Virtual Slidebox. This vast repository of digitized tissue specimens is open to the public and is free of charge. Virtual slides in this collection are used by educators around the world to teach histopathology and histology. “Educators and students will now have easier and quicker access to virtual slides from...
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Scientists hypothesize that during puberty, experiences influence brain development in ways that shape brain structure and even behavior in adulthood. One type of experience that often arises in the minds of pubescent teens and adolescents is sex. But a study published in the journal Hormones and Behavior suggests engaging in sexual activity too soon could be detrimental to the adult brain, and may lead to...
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Life's little pleasures often elude those suffering from depression, including rats, who show little interest in sugar water after experiencing stress. This behavior leads scientists to speculate that the illness might be characterized by a defect in the brain's neural reward circuit. Recent research focuses on a key element of this circuit – the nucleus accumbens (NAc), part of the brain region known as the ventral...
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A monkey spots a mango and part of its brain lights up. The action takes place in the inferior temporal cortex, part of the brain that's essential to object recognition. Using retrograde tracing and anatomical imaging, scientists at the National Institute of Neuroscience, and the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan identified two interwoven, yet distinct, systems within the region's complex circuitry. “Our anatomical findings provide evidence...
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WormLab is already contributing to a variety of research projects from the study of neurodegeneration at Johns Hopkins, to research on neural circuit function at UMass, neurotransmitter transporters at Vanderbilt University, and explorations into how the brain controls growth and fat metabolism at the University of Nevada, Reno. Why? WormLab is intuitive, fast, and yields an astounding amount of data very quickly. Try it with your...
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Scientific research shows that women are twice as likely as men to develop stress disorders. Why are women more sensitive than men to stress? A recent research study presents new evidence that estrogen could play a role. The symptoms of disorders like major depressive disorder and post traumatic stress disorder lead neuroscientists to speculate that a dysfunction occurs in the way the medial prefrontal cortex connects...
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When your mouth is dry, your joints are stiff, or your heart is inflamed because your immune system is attacking your own body, chances are you're suffering from a little stress. A recent study shows that there may be physiological reasons why patients with autoimmune diseases experience increased levels of anxiety. Scientists at the City University of New York Medical School, Columbia University, and the University...
Read More Myelin, which insulates axons in the central nervous system is produced by oligodendrocytes. But not all oligodendrocytes are equal. Led by Dr. Jonathan Vinet of the Université Laval in Quebec, scientists have identified three different types of oligodendrocytes in the mouse hippocampus: "ramified," "stellar," and "smooth." Each type displayed varying morphological characteristics, mainly in shape, volume, and branching behavior, which led the researchers to believe that the...
Read More The developing and adult central nervous system of the mouse is complex and large. NIH Neuroscientist Dr. Charles Gerfen uses Neurolucida and NeuroInfo to collect, display, and share virtual slides with the research community. Recently, Dr. Gerfen requested software enhancements to better allow him to categorize and use his virtual slide data in mouse brain testing. We were happy to comply. Dr. Gerfen explains how he uses...
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