BrainBlog

Does the brainʼs wiring make us who we are? Event homepage And, as discussed by Carl Zimmer: The Loom

The Greater Seattle Brain Science Cluster xconomy.com Luke Timmerman 16 March 2012 Read article

A press release from the FDA: FDA approves first generic Lexapro to treat depression and anxiety disorder 14 March 2012 Read the full press release

Making memories: How one protein does it The JHU Gazette 12 March 2012 [snip] "Studying tiny bits of genetic material that control protein formation in the brain, Johns Hopkins scientists say that they have new clues to how memories are made and how drugs might someday be used to stop disruptions in the process that lead to mental illness and brain-wasting diseases. "In a report published in the March 2 issue of Cell, the researchers say that certain microRNAs—genetic elements that control which proteins get made in cells—are the key to controlling the actions of so-called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF , long linked to brain cell survival, normal learning and memory boosting." [snip] Read the full article

Visit the Brain Awareness Week homepage at the Dana Foundation!

I noticed the abstract for this new paper earlier in the day. It should be a good read. Bauer RM, Iverson GL, Cernich AN, Binder LM, Ruff RM, Naugle RI (2012). Computerized neuropsychological assessment devices: Joint position paper of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology and the National Academy of Neuropsychology. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology (2012 Mar 1).

Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Single-Ascending Dose Study of the Oral γ-Secretase Inhibitor BMS-708163 (Avagacestat): Tolerability Profile, Pharmacokinetic Parameters, and Pharmacodynamic Markers Clin Ther. 2012 Feb 28; Tong G, Wang JS, Sverdlov O, Huang SP, Slemmon R, Croop R, Castaneda L, Gu H, Wong O, Li H, Berman RM, Smith C, Albright CF, Dockens RC Abstract BACKGROUND: γ-Secretase inhibitors (GSIs) are being investigated for their potential to modify the progression of Alzheimer disease based on their ability to regulate amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation. BMS-708163 (avagacestat) is an oral GSI designed for selective inhibition of Aβ synthesis currently in development for the treatment of mild to moderate and predementia AD. In addition to the desired effect on Aβ synthesis, GSIs affect Notch processing, which is thought to mediate some toxic adverse effects reported with this drug class. Avagacestat produced up to 190-fold greater selectivity for Aβ synth...

From the Neurohacks blog: Neurohacks column at BBC Future 27 February 2012 Read the blog posting

From the BBC : Understanding the brain on dance 27 February 2012 Last updated at 23:29 ET [snip] "How does the brain perceive and interpret beautiful movement? "This is one of the key questions being asked by scientists at Bangor University who have enlisted the help of a professional dancer in their quest to better understand how our brains process movement and how we learn by observation. "Dr Emily Cross' research focuses on the relatively new field of science called neuroaesthetics which looks at how the brain perceives artistic endeavours." [snip] Read the full article

The 24th Cambridge Neuroscience Seminar: Translational Neuroscience For full information, click here .

The February edition of Neuropod presented by Kerri Smith is up and is a great listen today. Listen to or download the edition and enjoy features about the connectome , thoughts on just how many neurons are present in the average human brain, and "The Good, the Bad, and the Monkey." Just where did that number of 100 billion come from? One number is sure: it is the 50th episode of this popular podcast. Congrats! Enjoy! Homepage and link to podcast

The Guardian's Science Weekly podcast for this week examines consciousness. " On 7 March at the Royal Institution in London, Science Weekly presenter Alok Jha will host a debate entitled Consciousness: The Hard Problem? "To discuss this slippery subject ahead of the debate Alok brought the three leading researchers and thinkers who will be participating into the Science Weekly studio: Professor Anil Seth, co-director of the Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science at Sussex University; Professor Chris Frith, professor emeritus at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at University College London; and Dr Barry Smith, director of the Institute of Philosophy at the School of Advanced Study at Birkbeck, University of London." Read the full article and listen to the podcast

Ulric Neisser Is Dead at 83; Reshaped Study of the Mind By DOUGLAS MARTIN The New York Times Published: February 25, 2012 "Mr. Neisser helped lead a postwar revolution in the study of the human mind by advancing the understanding of mental processes like perception and memory." Read the full obituary

The Charlie Rose show is airing episodes from Series 2 of its "Brain Series." Series 2 is a series of episodes that deal with brain disorders. Home page

Effects of Practice on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV Across 3- and 6-Month Intervals Clinical Neuropsychologist. 2012 Feb 21; Estevis E, Basso MR, Combs D Abstract A total of 54 participants (age M = 20.9; education M = 14.9; initial Full Scale IQ M = 111.6) were administered the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV ) at baseline and again either 3 or 6 months later. Scores on the Full Scale IQ, Verbal Comprehension, Working Memory, Perceptual Reasoning, Processing Speed, and General Ability Indices improved approximately 7, 5, 4, 5, 9, and 6 points, respectively, and increases were similar regardless of whether the re-examination occurred over 3- or 6-month intervals. Reliable change indices (RCI) were computed using the simple difference and bivariate regression methods, providing estimated base rates of change across time. The regression method provided more accurate estimates of reliable change than did the simple difference between baseline and fol...

From Business Wire : neuGRID, the European Online Diagnosis Tool for Alzheimer’s, Goes Global with outGRID and the ITU 20 February 2012 "neuGRID, a cloud-computing infrastructure funded by the European Commission that stores and analyses a vast database of 3D brain scans, is now expanding globally to help find treatments for Alzheimer’s. This ground-breaking initiative will help develop a global online system to centralise and boost Alzheimer’s research initiatives." Read full article

Impaired Cognitive Function and Hippocampal Neurogenesis Following Cancer Chemotherapy Clin Cancer Res . 2012 Feb 14; Christie LA, Acharya MM, Parihar VK, Nguyen A, Martirosian V, Limoli CL Abstract PURPOSE: A substantial proportion of breast cancer survivors report significant, long-lasting impairments in cognitive function, often referred to as "chemobrain." Advances in detection and treatment mean that many more patients are surviving long-term following diagnosis of invasive breast cancer. Thus, it is important to define the types, extent and persistence of cognitive impairments following treatment with cytotoxic cancer drugs. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We examined the effects of chronic treatment with two agents commonly used in breast cancer patients, cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin (Adriamycin). Athymic nude rats were given 50mg/kg cyclophosphamide, 2mg/kg doxorubicin or saline injections once per week for 4 weeks. A novel place recognition task and contextual and cued fear...

Intraneuronally Injected Amyloid Beta Inhibits Long-Term Potentiation In Rat Hippocampal Slices J Neurophysiol. 2012 Feb 15; Nomura I, Takechi H, Kato N Abstract Extracellular accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD). It has been reported that extracellular perfusion of Aβ inhibits long-term potentiation (LTP), which is strongly related to memory in animal models. However, it has recently been proposed that intracellular Aβ may be the first pathological change to occur in AD. Here, we have investigated the effect on LTP of intracellular injection of Aβ (Aβ(1-40), Aβ(1-42)) into hippocampal pyramidal cells using patch clamp technique. We found that injection of 1 nM Aβ(1-42) completely blocked LTP and extracellular perfusion of a p38 MAPK inhibitor or a metabotropic glutamate receptor blocker reversed these blocking effects on LTP. Furthermore, we have examined the effects of different concentrations of Aβ(1-40) and Aβ(1-42) on LTP and showed that...

A good read from the Dana Foundation Blog : Social Media as Science Facilitator Dana Foundation Blog 17 February 2012 Social media creates a new culture surrounding science. Read the blog post

Congratulations to Dr. Kerry Hamsher for Distinguished Career Award from International Neuropsychological Society (INS)! Ceremony takes place tomorrow evening, during the first day of this year's Annual Meeting. #INS12