When Pavlov's dogs started salivating in response to a ringing bell, something happened in their brains—a memory was encoded. Over a century later scientists are still figuring out how memories are physically represented in the brain. One lingering question has been whether or not the same set of neurons is activated when a particular memory is formed. Researchers at the Johnson Lab at the Uniformed...
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During pregnancy, the uterus grows to accommodate the increasing size of the fetus within. Makes sense. But what is it exactly that compels the uterus to get bigger? If you said pregnancy hormones, you're right. And if you said the growing fetus, stretching the uterine walls, you're right too. Researchers attribute the growth of the uterus during pregnancy to both hormones and mechanical stretch (the fetus...
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You could have the best hearing aids on the market, but if there is damage to the central auditory system, you're still not going to hear. Comprised of a sophisticated network that includes the auditory cortex and the inferior colliculi, the central auditory system is the part of the brain responsible for processing sound. Scientists at the Instituto de Neurociencias de Castilla y León and...
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Scientists who research genetic disorders might want to reconsider the way they transfer therapeutic genes to cells in the central nervous system. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors are the most common way to transfer DNA into neural cells because of their nonpathogenic nature and long-term transduction abilities. Specifically, researchers most frequently use AAV serotype 2 (AAV2). But scientists at the Yale University School of Medicine believe that...
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How do you find the volume of a sphere? It is a question that you’ve answered on math exams stretching all the way back to the sixth grade, but the formula eludes your brain. What is it that causes you to forget something that has been ingrained in your brain Dr. John Morrison of Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Peter R. Rapp, PHD and other...
Read MoreThere’s still time to enroll in Dr. Dan Peterson’s course, Practical Training Course in Confocal Microscopy and Stereology offered August 16-20, 2010 in downtown Chicago. Course content includes: Comprehensive and practical, “hands-on” instruction in state-of-the-art microscopy. Spinning disk and laser scanning confocal microscopes equipped for stereology along with brightfield stereology stations are available for student use and instruction. Substantial amounts of course time are spent using the equipment. Lectures...
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History is being made at George Washington University’s Laboratory for Evolutionary Neuroanatomy, and Stereo Investigator is playing a part. Using Stereo Investigator to count neurons, estimate axon fiber length, and quantify cellular volumes, Dr. Chet C. Sherwood and his team are carrying out "detailed comparisons of neural phenotypes between humans and our closest relatives, the great apes." A recent focus at the lab is the emergence...
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There may be more evidence that schizophrenia results from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. One of these hereditary influences may be an impaired ability to synthesize the antioxidant glutathione (GSH), which results in oxidative stress, according to a study conducted by scientists at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. By observing mice with a GSH deficit, Dr. Kim Q. Do and her team determined...
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Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia. Most cases occur in people over 65, and are not genetically inherited. Roughly five percent of Alzheimer's patients suffer from familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD), an uncommon form that tends to strike sooner, and is related to a genetic predisposition - most commonly, a mutation in the presenilin 1 gene (PS1). A recent study, led by Dr. Miguel...
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Birds and mammals hear binaurally, hearing sounds through two ears. Binaural hearing allows them to determine which direction a sound came from—a pivotal element of survival. Doctors Armin H. Seidl, Edwin W. Rubel, and David M. Harris of Seattle’s Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Center at the University of Washington recently published a study in the Journal of Neuroscience that may encourage scientists to think in...
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