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synaptic plasticity

·September 17, 2012·4 min read

Blue Brain Project Accurately Predicts Connections Between Neurons

Proof of concept: Researchers identify principles to support brain simulation models. Blue Brain Project has identified key principles that determine synapse-scale connectivity by virtually reconstructing a cortical microcircuit and comparing it to a mammalian sample. These principles now make it possible to predict the locations of synapses in the neocortex.

Autism Featured Neurology

·September 14, 2012·2 min read

Disorder of Neural Circuits in Autism Mouse Model is Reversible

Scientists have now identified a specific dysfunction in neuronal circuits that is caused by autism. The scientists also report about their success in reversing these neuronal changes in mouse models.

Electrophysiology Featured Neuroscience

·September 13, 2012·3 min read

Stress Breaks Loops that Hold Short-Term Memory Together

By watching individual neurons at work, a group of psychologists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has revealed just how stress can addle the mind, as well as how neurons in the brain's prefrontal cortex help remember information in the first place.

Featured Genetics Neurology

·September 13, 2012·3 min read

Neural Stem Cells Regenerate Axons in Severe Spinal Cord Injury

Researchers were able to regenerate an astonishing degree of axonal growth at the site of severe spinal cord injury in rats. Results were then replicated using two human stem cell lines, one already in human trials for ALS. “We obtained the exact results using human cells as we had in the rat cells,” said Tuszynski.

Electrophysiology Featured Neuroscience

·September 10, 2012·3 min read

Researchers Create Short-Term Memories In-Vitro

Researchers have discovered how to store diverse forms of artificial short-term memories in isolated brain tissue. Using isolated pieces of rodent brain tissue, the researchers demonstrated that they could form a memory of which one of four input pathways was activated.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 7, 2012·3 min read

A Brain Filter for Clear Information Transmission

Frequently, as many as one thousand signals rain down on a single neuron simultaneously. To ensure that precise signals are delivered, the brain possesses a sophisticated inhibitory system. Scientists have now illuminated how this system works.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·August 24, 2012·2 min read

Astrocytes Control the Generation of New Neurons from Neural Stem Cells

Neuroscience researchers show how astrocytes control the generation of new neurons in the brain. “In the brain, astrocytes control how many new neurons are formed from neural stem cells and survive to integrate into the existing neuronal networks. Astrocytes do this by secreting specific molecules but also by much less understood direct cell-cell interactions with stem cells”, says Prof. Milos Pekny.

Featured Neuroscience Neuroscience Videos Open Neuroscience Articles

·August 22, 2012·3 min read

Video Shows the Traffic Inside a Brain Cell

Using bioluminescent proteins from a jellyfish, scientists lit up the inside of a neuron, capturing spectacular video footage that shows the movement of proteins throughout the cell. The video offers a rare peek at how proteins, the brain's building blocks, are directed through neurons to renew its structure.

Autism Featured Neurology

·August 22, 2012·6 min read

Low-dose Sedative Alleviates Autistic-like Behavior in Mice with Dravet Syndrome Mutation

A low dose of the sedative clonazepam alleviated autistic-like behavior in mice with a mutation that causes Dravet syndrome in humans.

Featured Neuroscience

·August 8, 2012·4 min read

Simple Mathematical Computations Underlie Brain Circuits

Neuroscientists report that two major classes of brain cells repress neural activity in specific mathematical ways: One type subtracts from overall activation, while the other divides it.

Featured Neuroscience

·August 8, 2012·4 min read

New Model Synapse Could Shed Light on Disorders Such as Epilepsy and Anxiety

A new way to study the role of a critical neurotransmitter in disorders such as epilepsy, anxiety, insomnia, depression, schizophrenia, and alcohol addiction has been developed. This model synapse can precisely control a variety of receptors for the neurotransmitter called GABA, which is important in brain chemistry.

Featured Neurology Psychology

·August 6, 2012·8 min read

Brain Signal IDs Responders to Fast-Acting Antidepressants

Scientists have discovered a biological marker that may help to identify which depressed patients will respond to an experimental, rapid-acting antidepressant like ketamine. The brain signal, detectable by noninvasive imaging, also holds clues to the agent's underlying mechanism, which are vital for drug development, say NIH researchers.