Neuroscience research has come a hell of a long way since the days of scalpels and electrodes. While some research teams are exploring the molecular machinery that churns at the hearts of nerve cells, others are working to assemble wiring diagrams for whole regions of the human brain. Just as biological science never looked the [...]
Posts Tagged ‘synapses’
Three Big Doubts About Brain-Mapping Efforts
April 14th, 2013 
The Connectome 
Posted in Feature Stories, Featured 
Tags: connectomics, neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, neurons, neurophysiology, synapses, technology 
No Comments »The Memory Master
January 18th, 2012 The Connectome A gene that may underlie the molecular mechanisms of memory has been identified, says a new study. The gene’s called neuronal PAS domain protein 4 (Npas4 to its friends). When a brain has a new experience, Npas4 leaps into action, activating a whole series of other genes that modify the strength of synapses – the connections [...]
Posted in Brain News Tags: biochemistry, learning, memory, neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, neurons, neurophysiology, synapses 1 Comment »Synaptic Changes
November 17th, 2011 The Connectome Synapses – the junctions where neurons communicate – are constantly growing and pruning themselves – and those two processes occur independently of one another, says a new study. As a synapse sees more and more use, it tends to grow stronger, while synapses that fall out of use tend to grow weaker and eventually die [...]
Silicon Synapses
November 15th, 2011 The Connectome A new kind of computer chip mimics the way a neuron learns, a new study reports. The 400-transistor chip simulates the activity of a single synapse – a connection between two neurons. Because of the chip’s complexity, it’s able to mimic a synapse’s plasticity – its ability to subtly change structure and function in response to new [...]
Diff'rent Vesicles
August 25th, 2011 The Connectome A new discovery shows that the rules of synaptic transmission are very different from what we’d thought. In each neuron, tiny sacs called vesicles store neurotransmitter chemicals, and help transport them to other neurons. For decades, scientists had thought all the vesicles of a particular neurotransmitter were more or less identical – but now, they’ve [...]
