Neuroscience

Researchers from the UC San Diego School of Medicine and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute believe they have uncovered a new aspect of autism - that proteins involved in autism interact with many more partners than previously known. These interactions had not been detected earlier because they involve alternatively spliced forms of autism genes found in the brain.  In their study, the scientists isolated hundreds of new variants of autism genes from the human brain, and then screened their protein products against thousands of other proteins to identify interacting partners. Proteins…

Humans are unique in their ability to acquire language. But how? A new study published in the Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences shows that we are in fact born with the basic fundamental knowledge of language, thus shedding light on the age-old linguistic "nature vs. nurture" debate. While languages differ from each other in many ways, certain aspects appear to be shared across languages. These aspects might stem from linguistic principles that are active in all human brains. A natural question then arises: are infants born with knowledge of how the human words might sound like?…

Researchers writing in Cell Communication and Signaling say that abnormal levels of lipid molecules in the brain can affect the interaction between two key neural pathways in early prenatal brain development, which can trigger autism. Environmental causes such as exposure to chemicals in some cosmetics and common over-the-counter medication can affect the levels of these lipids, according to the researchers. "We have found that the abnormal level of a lipid molecule called Prostaglandin E2 in the brain can affect the function of Wnt proteins. It is important because this can change the…

Since the discovery of microRNAs, these small ribonucleotides have been implicated in a broad range of cellular processes(1). MicroRNAs typically work as inhibitory gate-keepers to keep the expression of numerous genes in check(1). They do so by binding to the 3’ untranslated region of target messenger RNAs (mRNAs) that encode specific genes, and consequently preventing the translation of these mRNAs into their corresponding protein products. Interestingly enough, it turns out that microRNAs may not necessarily work by suppressing gene expression. For example, unlike the previous concept…

Memory loss is a debilitating consequence of dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), an incurable condition contributing to a progressive loss of cognitive function. But what is the cause of memory loss in AD? Previous work suggests that the abnormal accumulation of amyloid beta proteins in Alzheimer’s disease is directly responsible for the memory loss (1). It is generally accepted that amyloid beta proteins can interact with amyloid-beta receptors on the surface of neurons, and that the interaction can trigger the destruction of neuronal synapses (connections between neurons) that…

Pine cone or pine nut? Friend or foe? Distinguishing between the two requires that we pay special attention to the telltale characteristics of each. Psychologists call it selective attention. We hone in on visual information that is new or important and dismissing what is not. As it turns out, us humans aren't the only ones up to the task. Pigeons share our ability to place everyday things in categories and focus on what is relevant. "The basic concept at play is selective attention. That is, in a complex world, with its booming, buzzing confusion, we don't attend to all properties of our…

Dogs have individual personalities, possess awareness, and are particularly known for their learning capabilities and trainability. They're also a lot more likable than cats and don't hide under the bed if the doorbell rings. To learn successfully, dog must have sufficient attention and concentration and the attentiveness of dogs' changes in the course of their lives, as it does in humans. As is said about both, you can't teach an old dog new tricks. It turns out you can, it is just harder. University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna scholar Lisa Wallis and colleagues investigated 145 Border…

An experimental anticancer compound, one of a class of compounds known as PAK inhibitors, appears to have reversed behaviors associated with schizophrenia and restored some lost brain cell function in adolescent mice with a rodent version of the mental illness. PAK inhibitors have been shown to confer some protection from brain damage due to Fragile X syndrome, an inherited disease in humans marked by mental retardation,  in animal experiments. There is also some evidence suggesting PAK inhibitors could be used to treat Alzheimer's disease. Because the PAK protein itself can initiate…

Memories are fragile and dependent on any number of factors, including changes to various types of nerves. In the common fruit fly, these changes take place in multiple parts of the insect brain. Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have been able to pinpoint a handful of neurons where certain types of memory formation occur, a mapping feat that one day could help scientists predict disease-damaged neurons in humans with the same specificity. "What we found is that while a lot of the neurons will respond to sensory stimuli, only a certain subclass of…

Researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say occasional use of stimulant drugs, such as cocaine and amphetamines, and prescription drugs such as Adderall have shown up as impaired neuronal activity in the parts of the brain associated with anticipatory functioning among 18- to 24-year-old users. Among the study's main implications is the possibility of being able to use brain activity patterns as a means of identifying at-risk youth long before they have any obvious outward signs of addictive behaviors. "If you show me 100 college students and tell…