(Medical Xpress) — How do we build a memory in the brain? It is well known that for animals (and humans) new proteins are needed to establish long-term memories. During learning information is stored at the synapses, the junctions connecting nerve cells. Synapses also require new proteins in order to show changes in their strength (synaptic plasticity). Historically, scientists have focused on the cell body as the place where the required proteins are synthesized. However, in recent years there has been increasing focus on the dendrites and axons (the compartments that meet to form synapses) as a potential site for protein synthesis.
Month: May 2012
Mathematical model unlocks key to brain wiring
(Medical Xpress) — A new mathematical model predicting how nerve fibres make connections during brain development could aid understanding of how some cognitive disorders occur.
Researchers move closer to delaying dementia
(Medical Xpress) — Scientists at University of Queensland’s Brain Institute are one step closer to developing new therapies for treating dementia.
Why do people choke when the stakes are high?
In sports, on a game show, or just on the job, what causes people to choke when the stakes are high? A new study by researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) suggests that when there are high financial incentives to succeed, people can become so afraid of losing their potentially lucrative reward that their performance suffers.
Researchers say genes and vascular risk modify effects of aging on brain and cognition
Efforts to understand how the aging process affects the brain and cognition have expanded beyond simply comparing younger and older adults.