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neuroscience

SYNGAP1 helps neurons eliminate old synapses and form new ones after a novel experience (left and center left)—a process weakened in mice missing a copy of the gene (center right and right).
Autism-Linked Gene SYNGAP1 Molds Synaptic Plasticity, Learning
Angie Voyles Askham, Spectrum | Oct 26, 2021 | 4 min read
The finding may help to explain why people with SYNGAP1 mutations tend to have learning difficulties and a high tolerance for pain.
Woman in sweater and glasses looks to the right of the camera.
Prosthetic Device Partially Restores Blind Biology Teacher’s Vision
Lisa Winter | Oct 26, 2021 | 2 min read
With the help of special glasses that interface with electrodes embedded in her brain, Berna Gomez was able to read letters and distinguish shapes for the first time in 16 years.
brain scan showing uptake of tratuzumab into tumor (arrow)
Sound Waves Aid Brain Tumor Treatment
Ruth Williams | Oct 13, 2021 | 3 min read
In a small clinical study, focusing ultrasound beams on tumors in patients’ brains helped open the blood-brain barrier to facilitate drug delivery.
The head of a tadpole is pictured. Its eye is black, but the rest of its head is various shades of green
Scientists Use Photosynthesis to Power an Animal’s Brain
Abby Olena, PhD | Oct 13, 2021 | 3 min read
Injecting oxygen-generating algae into tadpoles allows brain activity to continue in the absence of oxygen, researchers find.
Old man stands in front of tree, smiling at camera.
Neuroscientist Mortimer Mishkin Dies at 94
Lisa Winter | Oct 12, 2021 | 2 min read
His work bridged the gap between psychology and neurobiology.
Illustration of neurons in white with myelin in blue
Repurposed Drug Reverses Signs of Alzheimer’s in Mice, Human Cells
Jef Akst | Oct 12, 2021 | 2 min read
Researchers say they hope to launch a clinical trial to test bumetanide, a diuretic approved in 2002, but how it might improve neural functioning is unclear.
a long room lined with metal cages with chinchillas
Chinchilla Supplier Loses License over Animal Welfare Violations
Shawna Williams | Oct 11, 2021 | 1 min read
Moulton Chinchilla Ranch, the main US source of the animals for research, had a years-long history of disturbing findings in USDA inspections.
Colored artistic rendition of neurons and plaque buildup
Alzheimer’s Risk Gene Paradoxically Protects Against Memory Loss
Chloe Tenn | Oct 8, 2021 | 2 min read
A new study links a variant of the apolipoprotein E gene called APOE ε4 to better memory in older age, even in the presence of amyloid plaques—a possible explanation for the variant’s persistence despite its association with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Nadia Chaudhri stands in front of a building at Concordia University.
Neuroscientist Nadia Chaudhri Dies at 43
Lisa Winter | Oct 7, 2021 | 2 min read
Knowingly facing the end of her life, she raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for underrepresented students in higher education.
Trixie Gardner (left) and Allen Gardner (right) spend time interacting with Washoe (center).
R. Allen Gardner, Who Taught Chimps to Sign, Dies at 91
Lisa Winter | Oct 5, 2021 | 2 min read
Gardner famously claimed to have taught chimpanzees to communicate with people using American Sign Language by raising them as if they were human children.
sketch of two men smiling
Mechanisms of Chili’s Heat, Menthol’s Cool Garner Nobel
Chloe Tenn | Oct 4, 2021 | 4 min read
David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian won this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their research on the ion channels involved in perceiving heat, cold, pain, and touch.
Photograph showing plastic waste polluting the beach
Book Excerpt from Thicker Than Water
Erica Cirino | Oct 1, 2021 | 4 min read
In Chapter 5, "Pick Up the Pieces," author Erica Cirino investigates the potential health risks of the small plastic particles that permeate the planet.
A Black woman stands in profile with her head turned towards the camera, smiling
Bianca Jones Marlin Traces How Sensory Inputs Shape the Brain
Annie Melchor | Oct 1, 2021 | 3 min read
The Columbia University neuroscientist researches the biology behind some of our most human experiences, including building family relationships. 
Image of nerve fibers shown in green and red
Neurons Simplify Visual Signals by Responding to Only One Retina
Anne N. Connor | Oct 1, 2021 | 2 min read
Mice have neurons that connect to both eyes but only propagate the signal from one or the other, simplifying the information sent to the cerebral cortex.
Conceptual image of numbers
Is Your Brain Wired for Numbers?
Catherine Offord | Oct 1, 2021 | 10+ min read
Our perception of quantity, separate from counting or estimation of magnitude more generally, is foundational to human cognition, according to some neuroscientists.
Illustration of a brain on a clock with a figure of a man moving the clock arms
Human “Time Cells” Encode, Process Flow of Time
Anne N. Connor | Oct 1, 2021 | 2 min read
Neurons in the hippocampus store information on the timing of experiences in addition to their content, helping to mediate sequential memory recall, a new study shows.
An illustration of a yeast cell (right) and a human neuron (left) showing the processes/features that are similar in the two
Infographic: Modeling Neurodegenerative Diseases with Yeast
Mahlon Collins | Oct 1, 2021 | 3 min read
Conservation of structures and functions between single-celled fungi and human cells allow researchers to probe the brain.
Photographs of animals
Numerosity Around the Animal Kingdom
Catherine Offord | Oct 1, 2021 | 2 min read
Research in recent decades has explored how animals other than humans perceive different numbers of objects
Illustration of a Macaque viewing patterns of dots on a screen
Infographic: Single-Cell Recordings Identify “Number Neurons”
Catherine Offord | Oct 1, 2021 | 1 min read
Some nerve cells in the brains of macaques respond selectively to particular numbers, hinting at a specialized pathway for extracting information about numerical quantity.
Photograph of a mouse covering his face with his paw.
Bless You: Mouse Model Reveals Molecular Pathway Behind Sneezing
Amanda Heidt | Oct 1, 2021 | 3 min read
Researchers have identified specific cells and neuropeptides involved in mediating the sneeze response in mice exposed to allergens or chemical irritants such as capsaicin.
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