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Memory

The diagram shows the location of the hippocampus in the brain.

·May 15, 2013·4 min read

Brain Rewires Itself After Damage or Injury

When the hippocampus, an area of the brain associated with memory and learning, is damaged, the prefrontal cortex takes over. This demonstration of neuroplasticity could give rise to new treatment options for Alzheimer's disease and other conditions associated with damage to the brain.

Featured Genetics Open Neuroscience Articles

·April 25, 2013·3 min read

Scientists Create Novel Approach to Find RNAs Involved in Long-term Memory Storage

Researchers question why numerous different RNAs are transported to synapses. One reason, they suggest, is that they are stored to later help maintain long-term memory.

The brain diagram shown highlights the fusiform gyrus (Brodmann area 37), which is associated with FFA.

Autism Featured

·March 18, 2013·4 min read

Difficulty in Recognizing Faces in Autism Linked to Performance in a Group of Neurons

Neurons in the specific brain area responsible for processing faces are too broadly "tuned" in some patients with autism, leading to difficulties in discriminating between the facial features of different individuals, a new study suggests.

The image is a diagram comparing the difference between neuron damage and associated damage in alzheimer's disease with normal neurons.

Featured Neurology

·March 8, 2013·2 min read

Buphenyl Identified as a Possible Drug for Alzheimer’s Disease

Buphenyl (sodium phenylbutyrate), a medication approved for the treatment of hyperammonemia, could help prevent the progression of Alzheimer's disease, a new study finds.

The image shows a brain scan with the thalamus highlighted.

Featured Neurology

·March 6, 2013·1 min read

People with MS-Related Memory and Attention Problems Have Signs of Extensive Brain Damage

Using MRI scans on patients with multiple sclerosis and associated cognitive problems, researchers noted extra white matter dysfunction in areas important for cognitive skills.

The image shows cultured neurons with projecting dendrites highlighted in green.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 6, 2013·2 min read

Flip of a Single Molecular Switch Makes an Old Brain Young

Monitoring the synapses of living mice, researchers discover an important genetic switch for brain maturation. Mice without the Nogo Receptor 1 gene have persistent levels of juvenile brain plasticity through adulthood.

The image shows a drawing of the brain with the lateral intraparietal area (LIP) highlighted in red.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 6, 2013·4 min read

One Region, Two Functions: Brain Cells’ Multitasking Could be a Key to Understanding Overall Brain Function

The lateral intraparietal area (LIP), a region of the brain known to play a vital role in spatial and visual processing also has a parallel function, categorizing visual information, a new study suggests.

The image shows a structural diagram of rapamycin.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 4, 2013·2 min read

Protein Synthesis Blocker Could Help Reduce Effects of Traumatic Events

Researchers note reduced fear and stress responses following a mildly traumatic event when rapamycin, a protein synthesis blocker, is administered.

The image is a drawing of a brain slice with alzheimer's disease.

Featured Neurology

·February 28, 2013·2 min read

New Model Could Lead to Improved Treatment for Early Stage Alzheimer’s

Using transgenic mice with specially designed gene fragments derived from bacteria and human cells, researchers were able to control the production of amyloid beta peptide using antibiotics.

The image shows 3 diagrams of beta amyloid plaque formations.

Featured Neurology

·February 27, 2013·2 min read

Researchers Identify Possible Treatment Window for Memory Problems

A new study identifies a potential treatment window of several years for plaques in the brain considered to cause memory loss in diseases such as Alzheimer's.