Genes for Learning, Remembering and Forgetting

Genes for Learning, Remembering and Forgetting http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120329124505.htm University of Utah biologists have discovered certain genes and proteins that promote growth and development of embryos also play a surprising role in sending chemical signals that help adults learn, remember, forget and perhaps even become addicted. The genes are called back to action to change the properties of the nervous system in response to experience in adults. The researchers studies worms that have shown to have similar nerve functions to several vertebrates, including humans, and have found a possible new solution to addictions and some mental diseases like schizophrenia. This could affect everyone with addictions if it works as well as people suffering from things like schizophrenia.

'Housekeeping' Mechanism for Brain Stem Cells Discovered

'Housekeeping' Mechanism for Brain Stem Cells Discovered http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120422134800.htm Reaserchers from Columbia University Medical Center have identified a molecular pathway that controls the retention and release of the brain’s stem cells. It is their hope that this can eventually lead to regenerative therapy for several stem cell diseases. The research is based on several other recent studies that show that stem cells reside in specific niches that support and maintain them. "From this research, we knew that when stem cells detach from their niche, they lose their identity as stem cells and begin to differentiate into specific cell types," stem cells in the brain are carefully regulated and with careful study and experiments on mice they theorize that they may eventually be able to manipulate the stem cells to help heal deficiencies in the brain. This could affect everyone with brain problems as well as people who study brains and stem cells.

Video games help fight depression

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/04/20/video-game-helps-teenagers-battling-depression/

A group of researchers from the university of Auckland, New Zealand created a novel computerized cognitive behavioral therapy call SPARX. This puts the users in a number of undergoing series, which challenges them to complete certain tasks to get rid of GNATS or Gloomy Negative Automatic Thoughts. They did this on a group of adolescents between the ages of 12 to 19 with mild to moderate depression. This showed that SPARX was just as effective at reducing depression symptoms in the teenagers as therapy sessions.

Single-Neuron Observations Mark Steps in Alzheimer's Disease

Studying a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, neuroscientists at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen have observed correlations between increases in both soluble and plaque-forming beta-amyloid -- a protein implicated in the disease process -- and dysfunctional developments on several levels: individual cortical neurons, neuronal circuits, sensory cognition, and behavior. Their results, published in Nature Communications, show that these changes progress in parallel and that, together, they reveal distinct stages in Alzheimer's disease with a specific order in time.

Interesting

Reference: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120420105831.htm