Scientists have identified a new gene that is required for memory formation in Drosophila, the common fruit fly. The gene may have similar functions in humans, shedding light on neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease or human learning disabilities.
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September 8, 2010
New gene for memory identified in fruit fly; May shed light on human neurological disorders
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June 30, 2010
Can you make a snail forget?
Scientists have identified which environmental stress conditions encourage pond snails to remember and which make them forget. Following training, predator scent super-sensitised the snails whilst overcrowding and reduced calcium blocked memory formation. Understanding when stress blocks or enhances memory in a simple animal model may help elucidate mechanisms in more complex animals, like humans
17 Vote(s)
17 Vote(s)
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January 29, 2010
Losing Sleep, Losing Brain?
Chronic and severely stressful situations, like those connected to depression and posttraumatic stress disorder, have been associated with smaller volumes in "stress sensitive" brain regions, such as the cingulate region of the cerebral cortex and the hippocampus, a brain region involved in memory formation...
6 Vote(s)
6 Vote(s)
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Map Of Fear Memory Formation Extended By Brain Scientists
Draw a map of the brain when fear and anxiety are involved, and the amygdala - the brain's almond-shaped center for panic and fight-or-flight responses - looms large. But the amygdala doesn't do its job alone. Scientists at Emory University have recently built upon work from others, extending the fear map to part of the brain known as the prelimbic cortex...
9 Vote(s)
9 Vote(s)
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January 27, 2010
Brain scientists extend map of fear memory formation
Draw a map of the brain when fear and anxiety are involved, and the amygdala looms large. But scientists have now extended the brain's fear map to include the prelimbic cortex. Researchers found that mice lacking a critical growth factor in the prelimbic cortex have trouble remembering to fear electric shocks. The discovery could help improve diagnosis and treatment for anxiety disorders such as
7 Vote(s)
7 Vote(s)
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September 16, 2009
Direct Evidence Of Role Of Sleep In Memory Formation Is Uncovered
A research team has pinpointed for the first time the mechanism that takes place during sleep that causes learning and memory formation to occur. The team has determined that short transient brain events, called "sharp wave ripples," are responsible for consolidating memory and transferring the learned information from the hippocampus to the neocortex, where long-term memories are stored.
8 Vote(s)
8 Vote(s)
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July 29, 2009
Early Warning: Key Alzheimer’s Brain Changes Observed In Unimpaired Older Humans
New research has uncovered an early disruption in the process of memory formation in older humans who exhibit some early brain changes associated with Alzheimer's disease but show little or no memory impairment. The work sheds light on the role of amyloid protein in memory impairment and may lead to development of strategies for predicting and treating cognitive decline in individuals who are at-
11 Vote(s)
11 Vote(s)
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June 25, 2009
Sleep Helps Build Long-Term Memories - Picower Institute Study Strengthens Link Between Sleep, Memory Formation
Experts have long suspected that part of the process of turning fleeting short-term memories into lasting long-term memories occurs during sleep. Now, researchers at the RIKEN-MIT Center for Neural Circuit Genetics of MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have shown that mice prevented from "replaying" their waking experiences while asleep do not remember them as well as mice who are ab
6 Vote(s)
6 Vote(s)
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