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News from the Synapse

In Map of Brain Junction, Avenues to Answers By NICHOLAS WADE The New York Times Published: December 20, 2010 "Researchers have identified the components of a critical part of the brain’s architecture: the synapse, or junction where one neuron makes a connection with another." Read the article
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Neuroimaging and Stimulating Human Brain Remodeling

A broadcast of a recent presentation at the National Institutes of Health: Watch the presentation Air date: Monday, November 29, 2010, 12:00:00 PM Time displayed is Eastern Time, Washington DC Local Category: Neuroscience Description: Neuroscience Seminar Series Animal studies show that the adult brain shows remarkable plasticity in response to learning or recovery from injury. Non-invasive brain imaging techniques can be used to detect systems-level structural and functional plasticity in the human brain. This talk will focus on how brain imaging has allowed us to monitor healthy brains learning new motor skills and to assess how damaged brains recover. For example, structural and diffusion MRI shows that learning to juggle changes not only grey matter but also white matter in healthy brains. In patients recovering after a stroke to one side of their brain, functional MRI and transcranial magnetic stimulation provide evidence for increased recruitment of areas in the healthy side o...
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iLobe?

Out of Our Brains By ANDY CLARK December 12, 2010, 3:47 PM A New York Times blog "Andy Clark wonders: are devices like iPhones and Blackberries actually becoming extensions of our thinking selves?" Read the full posting
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Alzheimer's: Impaired beta-Amyloid Clearance

From the NIH: Impaired clearance, not overproduction of toxic proteins, may underlie Alzheimer’s disease 09 December 2010 In Alzheimer's disease, a protein fragment called beta-amyloid accumulates at abnormally high levels in the brain. Now researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have found that in the most common, late-onset form of Alzheimer’s disease, beta-amyloid is produced in the brain at a normal rate but is not cleared, or removed from the brain, efficiently. In addition to improving the understanding of what pathways are most important in development of Alzheimer's pathology, these findings may one day lead to improved biomarker measures for early diagnosis as well as a new approach to treating this devastating disorder. Many believe that accumulation of abnormal levels of beta-amyloid in the brain initiates a cascade of events leading to the death of brain cells and ultimately to dementia. In the rare, early-onset forms of Alzheimer's that are link...
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Roche Pipeline Report

A report from FierceBiotech : Roche provides update on leading late-stage pharmaceutical pipeline New data on medicines with the potential to redefine standard of care highlighted at Investor event Posted December 9, 2010 "Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) today will provide an update on its leading late-stage pipeline comprising twelve new molecular entities in key therapeutic areas. The London investor event will focus on major progress that has been achieved in recent months with Roche's late-stage pipeline assets in the areas of oncology and CNS, as well as on further development plans of these potential breakthrough medicines." read the full report
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NIH to offer new clinical research opportunity

NIH to offer new clinical research opportunity Initiative to partner with Lasker Foundation NIH Press Release, 09 December 2010 The National Institutes of Health has launched a new program in conjunction with the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation that will provide medical doctors with funding for patient-focused, clinical research projects. The goal is to bridge the widening gap between cutting-edge research and improved patient care. The initiative, called the Lasker Clinical Research Scholars Program, enables exceptional clinical researchers in the early stages of their careers to first spend 5 to 7 years at the NIH Clinical Center, the world's largest hospital dedicated to patient-oriented research, in Bethesda, Md. Upon successful completion of this first stage, the scholars would be offered the opportunity to remain at the NIH as senior clinical research scientists or to apply for up to four years of independent financial support at a university or other external research inst...
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Neuropsychology Abstract of the Day: Olfactory Assessment - Traditional-Chinese Version of UPSIT

Jiang RS, Su MC, Liang KL, Shiao JY, Wu SH, & Hsin CH. A pilot study of a traditional Chinese version of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test for application in Taiwan. American Journal of Rhinol Allergy. 2010 Jan-Feb;24(1):45-50. BACKGROUND: The 40-item University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) is the most widely used smell test in the world. Presently, culturally modified versions of this test are available in 12 languages. This study describes the first assessment of a prototype traditional Chinese version of the UPSIT (UPSIT-TC) for administration in Taiwan. The goals were to determine the efficacy of specific items for testing Taiwanese subjects and to establish normative adjustments to allow for the use of North American norms. METHODS: The American version of the UPSIT and the UPSIT-TC were administered to 40 healthy Taiwanese subjects on two test occasions separated from one another by 2 weeks. One subject was excluded because of in...
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Patient HM Continues to Impress!

A fine little piece in the New York Times about Patient H.M. and his performance on crossword puzzles. No Memory, but He Filled In the Blanks By BENEDICT CAREY Published: December 6, 2010 "A man who had brain tissue removed in 1953 stunned researchers over the years by learning some new facts and maintaining his addiction to crossword puzzles." Read the article
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Neuropsychology Abstract of the Day: Mouse Paired Associates Learning (PAL) Task

Bartko SJ, Vendrell I, Saksida LM, & Bussey TJ A computer-automated touchscreen paired-associates learning (PAL) task for mice: Impairments following administration of scopolamine or dicyclomine and improvements following donepezil. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2010 Nov 18. RATIONALE: Performance on the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery touchscreen paired-associates learning (PAL) test is predictive of Alzheimer's disease and impaired in schizophrenia and chronic drug users. An automated computer touchscreen PAL task for rats has been previously established. A pharmacologically validated PAL task for mice would be a highly valuable tool, which could be useful for a number of experimental aims including drug discovery. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to investigate the effects of systemic administration of cholinergic agents on task performance in C57Bl/6 mice. METHODS: Scopolamine hydrobromide (0.02, 0.2, and 2.0 mg/kg), dicyclomine hydrochloride (M(1) receptor a...
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TED Talk: Gero Miesenboeck

TED Talk: Gero Miesenboeck reengineers a brain July 2010 Watch the talk here "In the quest to map the brain, many scientists have attempted the incredibly daunting task of recording the activity of each neuron. Gero Miesenboeck works backward -- manipulating specific neurons to figure out exactly what they do, through a series of stunning experiments that reengineer the way fruit flies percieve light."
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