synaptic plasticity

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·July 6, 2020

To Let Neurons Talk, Immune Cells Clear Paths Through Brain’s ‘Scaffolding’

Dropping the level of the IL-33 immune molecule increased the number of synapses in the brain. In older mice, ramping up IL-33 helped push the number of new synapses toward a more youthful state. Read More

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·June 4, 2020

Adult neurogenesis essential for sleep-induced memory consolidation

Adult born neurons are essential for synaptic structural remodeling and memory consolidation during REM sleep, a new mouse study found. Read More

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·May 11, 2020

Resilience to ALS due to synaptic safety mechanism

Study reveals a self-corrective mechanism within synapses that is activated by neurodegeneration and slows disease progression in animal models of ALS. Read More

Featured Neuroscience

·May 4, 2020

How synaptic changes translate to behavior changes

Learning produces changes in connectivity via multiple synaptic mechanisms that are consistent with observed behavioral changes. Read More

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·May 4, 2020

Exercise boosts motor skill learning via changes in brain’s transmitters

Neurons in the caudal pedunculopontine nucleus, an area of the brain that regulates motor coordination, switch neurotransmitters from acetylcholine to GABA as a result of exercise. The switch appears to provide feedback control that regulates motor coordination and skill learning. Read More

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·April 26, 2020

Effects of rapid-acting antidepressant ketamine consolidated in sleep?

Brain connections strengthened with treatment from fast-acting antidepressants, such as ketamine, are consolidated during deep sleep. Researchers propose rapid antidepressant treatments share the ability to regulate both synaptic potentiation and homeostatic mechanisms, which may contribute to how the brain reorganizes its activity to defeat depression. Read More

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·April 24, 2020

Adult astrocytes are key to learning and memory

Mice deficient in the NFIA gene presented astrocytes with defective shapes and altered functions in the hippocampus. Read More

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·March 3, 2020

Brain cells that change shape after a meal

Following a meal, astrocytes associated with POMC neurons in the hypothalamus alter their shape. After eating, glucose levels increase temporarily. Astrocytes detect the signal and react within one hour, causing POMC neurons to activate and promote the feeling of satiety. Read More

This shows synaptic transmission in action

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·February 24, 2020

Antibodies: The body’s own antidepressants

When autoantibodies are able to enter the bran and act on NMDA receptors, people experience relief from symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. Read More

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·February 21, 2020

Major discovery in the genetics of Down syndrome

Study explains how an overexpression of the RCAN1 gene may cause intellectual disabilities in people with Down syndrome. Read More

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·February 11, 2020

How the brain’s immune system could be harnessed to improve memory

Altering microglia in rats helped enhance their performance in memory tasks by up to 50%. The findings could help to develop new therapies that enhance memory function and prevent cognitive decline in humans. Read More