Scientists Uncover a Previously Unknown Mechanism of Memory Formation
A recent study indicates microRNAs may play a far more important role in memory formation than previously thought. The research suggests microRNA—miR-182 is involved in developing memory in the amgydala.
Study Shows how Brain Cells Shape Temperature Preferences
A new study shows a complex set of overlapping neuronal circuits works in concert to drive temperature preferences in the fruit fly Drosophila by affecting a single target, a heavy bundle of neurons within the fly brain known as the mushroom body. These nerve bundles play critical roles in learning and memory.
In-Brain Monitoring Shows Memory Network
Working with patients with electrodes implanted in their brains, researchers show that areas of the brain work simultaneously to recall memories. The approach promises new insights into how we remember details of time and place.
Discovery of Two Opposite Ways Humans Voluntarily Forget Unwanted Memories
If only there were a way to forget that humiliating faux pas at last night’s dinner party. It turns out there’s not one, but two opposite ways in which the brain allows us to voluntarily forget unwanted memories, according to research.
Language is Shaped by Brain’s Desire for Clarity and Ease
Using an artificial language in a carefully controlled laboratory experiment, researchers found that many changes to language are simply the brain’s way of ensuring that communication is as precise and concise as possible.
Neuroscientists Launch 5 Year Study of Music Education and Child Brain Development
Researchers at USC Brain and Creativity Institute will explore the effects of intense music training on cognitive development in LA Phil’s YOLA at HOLA program. The five-year research project will offer researchers an opportunity to provide new insights and add data about the role of early music engagement in learning and brain function.
Discovery of Gatekeeper Nerve Cells Explains the Effect of Nicotine on Learning and Memory
Researchers discovered a new group of nerve cells that regulate processes of learning and memory. These cells act as gatekeepers and carry a receptor for nicotine, which can help explain our ability to remember and sort information. The newly discovered gatekeeper nerve cells, also called OLM-alpha2 cells, provide an explanation to how the flow of information is controlled in the hippocampus.
Researchers Discover that the Sleeping Brain Behaves as if it’s Remembering Something
UCLA researchers have for the first time measured the activity of a brain region known to be involved in learning, memory and Alzheimer’s disease during sleep. They discovered that the entorhinal cortex behaves as if it’s remembering something, even under anesthesia, a finding that counters conventional theories about memory consolidation during sleep.
What Number is Halfway Between 1 and 9? Is it 5 or 3?
A new information-theoretical model of human sensory perception and memory sheds light on some peculiarities of the nervous system. Ask adults from the industrialized world what number is halfway between 1 and 9, and most will say 5. But pose the same question to small children, or people living in some traditional societies, and they’re likely to answer 3.
Babies Learn the Smell of Mum
Newborn mice use mom’s unique odor, not a pheromone, to begin breastfeeding.
