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The numbers 1 through 9 are shown over a brain with two question marks over 3 and 5.

·October 5, 2012·4 min read

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.

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·October 4, 2012·4 min read

Babies Learn the Smell of Mum

Newborn mice use mom's unique odor, not a pheromone, to begin breastfeeding.

Featured Neurology

·October 4, 2012·3 min read

A Molecular Scissor Related to Alzheimer’s Disease

An international research team revealed the atomic‐level structure of the human peptidase enzyme meprin β (beta).

A brain image is next to a drawing of a 1918 brain map.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 4, 2012·2 min read

Researchers Create a Universal Map of Vision in the Human Brain

Researchers create a map of vision in the brain based upon an individual's brain structure, even for people who cannot see. Their result can, among other things, guide efforts to restore vision using a neural prosthesis that stimulates the surface of the brain.

Featured Neurology

·October 3, 2012·3 min read

Drug Reverses Abnormal Brain Function in Rett Syndrome Mice

in a mouse model of Rett syndrome, researchers were able to reverse abnormalities in brain activity and improve neurological function by treating animals with an FDA-approved anesthesia drug, ketamine.

Schizophrenia fMRI brain scans are shown.

Featured Genetics Psychology

·October 3, 2012·4 min read

New de novo Genetic Mutations in Schizophrenia Identified

Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have identified dozens of new spontaneous genetic mutations that play a significant role in the development of schizophrenia, adding to the growing list of genetic variants that can contribute to the disease. The schizophrenia study was the largest and most comprehensive of its kind.

Featured Neurology

·October 2, 2012·2 min read

New Research Model to Aid Search for Degenerative Disease Cures

Efforts to treat disorders like Lou Gehrig’s disease, Paget’s disease, inclusion body myopathy and dementia will receive a considerable boost from a new research model created by UC Irvine scientists.

Drawing of a human head with gears and computer parts on it.

Featured Genetics Psychology

·October 2, 2012·2 min read

Intelligence Is in the Genes, but Where?

A new study reveals that most of the specific genes long thought to be linked to intelligence probably have no bearing on one’s IQ. And it may be some time before researchers can identify intelligence’s specific genetic roots.

Scientists in front of computer monitors examine microscope images showing the growth of axons.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 2, 2012·4 min read

Study Suggests Immune System Can Boost Regeneration of Peripheral Nerves

Research seeks the 'master knob' to turn on nerve repair. Modulating immune response to injury could accelerate the regeneration of severed peripheral nerves, a new study in an animal model has found. By altering activity of the macrophage cells that respond to injuries, researchers dramatically increased the rate at which nerve processes regrew.

MRI image of a patient with multiple sclerosis is shown.

Featured Neurology

·October 2, 2012·4 min read

Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to More Severe Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms

Low blood levels of vitamin D are associated with an increased number of brain lesions and signs of a more active disease state in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study finds, suggesting a potential link between intake of the vitamin and the risk of longer-term disability from the autoimmune disorder.

A patient with Myasthenia Gravis is shown.

Featured Neurology

·October 1, 2012·3 min read

Researchers Halt Autoimmune Disease Myasthenia Gravis in Mice

Working with mice, Johns Hopkins researchers say they have developed a gene-based therapy to stop the rodent equivalent of the autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis by specifically targeting the destructive immune response the disorder triggers in the body.