News tagged with brain nerves

The living fossils of brain evolution

(Phys.org) -- In the course of its evolution, the architecture of the mouse brain may have barely changed. Similar to the tiny ancestors of modern mammals that lived about 80 million years ago, nerve cells ...

Biology / Evolution

created May 23, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists solve mystery of the eye

(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have a good overall understanding of human vision: when light enters our eyes, it is focused by the lens and strikes the retina in the back of the eye. The light causes some of ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Nov 17, 2011 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (64) | comments 14 | with audio podcast feature

Immune molecule regulates brain connections

The number of connections between nerve cells in the brain can be regulated by an immune system molecule, according to a new study from UC Davis. The research, published Feb. 27 in the journal Nature Neuroscience, reveal ...

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Feb 27, 2011 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (8) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

The genetic basis of 130 brain diseases

In research published today, scientists have studied human brain samples to isolate a set of proteins that accounts for over 130 brain diseases. The paper also shows an intriguing link between diseases and the evolution of ...

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Dec 19, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (17) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Plant-derived scavengers prowl the body for nerve toxins

The brain is forever chattering to itself, via electrical impulses sent along its hard-wired neuronal "Ethernet." These e-messages are translated into chemical transmissions, allowing communication across ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Nov 23, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers find gene critical to sense of smell in fruit fly

(Medical Xpress) -- Fruit flies don't have noses, but a huge part of their brains is dedicated to processing smells. Flies probably rely on the sense of smell more than any other sense for essential activities ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Jan 19, 2012 | popularity 3 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Psychologist shows why we 'choke' under pressure -- and how to avoid it

(PhysOrg.com) -- A star golfer misses a critical putt; a brilliant student fails to ace a test; a savvy salesperson blows a key presentation. Each of these people has suffered the same bump in mental processing: ...

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created Sep 21, 2010 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (27) | comments 4 | with audio podcast

A whole new meaning for thinking on your feet

Smithsonian researchers report that the brains of tiny spiders are so large that they fill their body cavities and overflow into their legs. As part of ongoing research to understand how miniaturization affects ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 12, 2011 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (9) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

Researchers discover how brain's memory center repairs damage from head injury

Researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center have described for the first time how the brain's memory center repairs itself following severe trauma – a process that may explain why it is harder to bounce back after ...

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Mar 31, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Trial and error: The brain learns from mistakes

In the developing brain, countless nerve connections are made which turn out to be inappropriate and as a result must eventually be removed. The process of establishing a neuronal network does not always prove ...

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Feb 08, 2011 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (6) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Huntington's disease breakthrough equals hope for patients

A huge leap forward in understanding Huntington's disease may give patients hope for a cure.

Medicine & Health / Medical research

created Feb 22, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (8) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

How does DEET work? Study says it confuses insects (Update)

For almost 50 years, people have used insect repellents containing DEET. But scientists still argue about how the stuff works.

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Sep 21, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Biologists gain new insights into brain circuit wiring

(PhysOrg.com) -- Neurobiologists at UC San Diego have discovered new ways by which nerves are guided to grow in highly directed ways to wire the brain during embryonic development.

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Feb 14, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

New genetic technique converts skin cells into brain cells

A research breakthrough has proven that it is possible to reprogram mature cells from human skin directly into brain cells, without passing through the stem cell stage. The unexpectedly simple technique involves activating ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Jun 09, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Hyperactive nerve cells may contribute to depression

(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, have identified hyperactive ...

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Feb 23, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (9) | comments 1 | with audio podcast