by Tohoku University A 3D reconstructed synaptic structure capturing glial phagocytosis. A represents part of a 3D reconstructed Purkinje cell dendrite (yellow). Multiple spines are found at a high density along the dendrite. In many of the spines, aberrant protrusions were found (protrusions from the spine are colored in red). These protrusions were observed at...
New findings suggest optimal teaching tactics, psychiatric treatment, should adapt to reflect brain differences. New research from the University of California, Irvine reveals that sex differences in learning and memory mechanisms are triggered by biological events occurring during puberty. Findings show prepubescent female rodents have much better hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) and spatial learning than...
What happens inside neurons when we memorize a password or learn the cello? Some of our basic understanding about learning and memory comes from the study of conditions in which cognitive development is disrupted. For example, FMRP, a protein whose loss causes fragile X syndrome, intellectual disability, and some forms of autism has been shown to play...
NARA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IMAGE: Shootin1a Is Required for Spine Structural Plasticity. Fluorescence time-lapse images of dendritic spines (A) and time course of their volume changes (B) of hippocampal neurons in slice culture. Spines were stimulated by local application of neurotransmitter glutamate for 30 s (red asterisks). 30-sec stimulation of control spines induced...
by Scott Lafee, University of California – San Diego PET scan of a human brain with Alzheimer’s disease. Credit: public domain Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues elsewhere, have used gene therapy to prevent learning and memory loss in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a key step toward eventually...
