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

Menthol smokers have more strokes

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/04/13/study-menthol-smokers-have-more-strokes/

Surveys were conducted from 2001 through 2008. Of the menthol smokers, 3.4 percent said on the surveys they'd had a stroke. That compared to 2.7 percent of the non-menthol smokers. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking any type of cigarettes increases a person's risk of heart disease two- to four-fold compared to non-smokers.

Sparrows Change Their Tune to be Heard in Noisy Cities

Sparrows Change Their Tune to be Heard in Noisy Cities

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120402162710.htm

Researchers studied the songs sung by male white-crowned sparrows in the Presidio district of San Francisco from 1969 to today. In 1969 the sparrows sang three different songs at different pitches, as San Francisco got louder the birds lower pitch song disappeared and it seemed that only the loudest song would remain. But the birds came up with new songs to be heard over the noises of the busy city. The researchers also tested the sparrow’s reactions to recordings of the old and new songs being played. The Sparrows didn’t think anything of the old songs and basically ignored them, but the new songs were taken as threats and treated as such.
This could affect bird researchers and watchers as well as all the people who enjoy hearing birds sing.

Emotional Abuse

Resource: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/anger-in-the-age-entitlement/200808/effects-emotional-abuse-it-hurts-when-i-love

First of all, what is emotional abuse? It is in the most basic definition is anything that hurts the feeling of another person. We definitely have as human beings hurt someone's feelings on purpose, but there is a difference between this and an emotionally abusive relationship. In an emotionally abusive relationship, the other controls you by undermining your confidence, making you feel crazy, and manipulating you with fear or shame. There are many ways in which emotional abuse can be more effective in messing you up than physical abuse. There are some reasons to this. One of the reasons emotional abuse kicks your butt more is it can happen every single day of your life. The more it happens, the more you can feel the pain. Emotional abuse can also dig deeper than the normal punches. First of all, punches or kicks can obviously be seen that it is their fault for hurting you. Emotional abuse makes you blame yourself! Implying or saying you some kind of problems suggests there is something wrong with you. It makes you question something unnecessary and makes you think your at fault. It takes abuse to whole new level of damage.

This article was very interesting! I recommend reading the whole thing. I thought is was very informative and gave many details and examples on the subject. The realization that emotional abuse can be a bigger impact truly is interesting. It makes us as humans if we love the other person question ourselves for the wrong purpose. The truth is that this can happen anywhere, and it happens too often. Knowing what to do or knowing when to break a relationship like this is important. I find information like this important.