Because billions of neurons are packed into our brain, the neuronal circuits that are responsible for controlling our behaviors are by necessity highly intermingled. This tangled web makes it complicated for scientists to determine exactly which circuits do what. Now, using two laboratory techniques pioneered in part at Caltech, Caltech researchers have mapped out the… Continue reading A New Parkinson’s Discovery
Tag: neuron
A Better Understanding of Alcoholism
A cure for alcoholism and other addiction could be closer to realization thanks to researchers’ discovery of a neuron that determines whether one drink leads to two. A study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience by researchers at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, finds that alcohol consumption alters the structure and… Continue reading A Better Understanding of Alcoholism
Rat Brains Hold Clue to Learning
Although it might sound like science fiction, researchers can now tell in an autopsy what a brain learned before it died. Scientists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory described how they “read” slices of a rat’s brain after it died. The experiment showed how the rat was trained to behave in response to specific sounds. “Neuroscientists… Continue reading Rat Brains Hold Clue to Learning
A New Clue to Anxiety
Researchers have discovered a new pathway in the brain that controls “fear memories and behavior” – and that may be good news for the nearly 40 million adults who suffer from anxiety disorder. Scientists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory had already discovered that “fear learning and memory are orchestrated by neurons in the central amygdala,”… Continue reading A New Clue to Anxiety
Battling “Chemo Brain”
Scientists have identified a culprit in the condition known as “chemo brain,” a decrease in mental sharpness attributed to chemotherapy. The researchers, from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, made the discovery in a study of an animal memory model. It has been estimated that up to half of patients taking cancer… Continue reading Battling “Chemo Brain”