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(01/29/15 5:14pm)
IPads are really fun to use, with functionality ranging from watching Netflix to playing Angry Birds. Even beyond evening entertainment, light-emitting electronic devices are entering the realm of education through waves of e-books and applications that promote learning, and their utility explains their ubiquity in our lives. However, have we really fully considered the implication of such technologies beyond their use in work and play? This question has been raised many times before. Some say that technologies make us lazier and more dependent on electronics. Others say they take away from interpersonal relationships as people glue their eyes to the small screen of their mobile phones, fingers rapidly firing away text messages.
(12/04/14 6:50pm)
For a very long time, the idea that the adult mammalian brain could make new neurons was regarded as a ludicrous idea. The then-pervading dogma in the field posited that we have as many neurons in the brain as we are born with.
(11/20/14 6:39pm)
The inability of central nervous system (CNS) neurons to regenerate constitutes the greatest challenge to the development of therapies for nervous system disorders and injuries. Unlike muscle or skin tissue, neurons in the brain and the spinal cord suffer from a severe regenerative failure. This lack of regenerative ability explains why neurodegenerative disorders and traumatic injuries to the CNS are so devastating. For example, there are 200,000 people currently living in the United States with Spinal Cord Injury, accumulating a lifetime cost of up to $3 million. Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, comprise a significant economic and social burden to individuals and society.
(11/13/14 7:47pm)
Cancer is a highly complex disease, characterized by impairments in various biological pathways. Each of these pathways constitutes a potential therapeutic target in which manipulation of the pathway may halt disease progression. One key player in the development and metastasis of cancer is the blood vessel, which scientists believe feeds cancer cells with necessary nutrients as well as providing them with a way to spread throughout the body. Published in Developmental Cell, a new study by Hopkins researchers elucidates the molecular pathways by which brain blood vessel growth is regulated, setting the stage for development of more effective anti-cancer treatments.
(11/06/14 7:12pm)
A seizure is a sustained elevation in the brain’s electrical activity that clinically manifests itself in a variety of ways depending on the part of the brain affected, including loss of consciousness and convulsions. Many different factors can lead to seizures, including metabolism, acute infections, drug overdose and alcohol withdrawal.
(10/30/14 4:39pm)
Learning and memory comprise a fundamental part of our lives, allowing us to keep up with changes in the environment and acquire new information about the world. It is well established that a brain region known as the hippocampus is important for such abilities. However, the mechanism governing hippocampal-dependent cognitive function remains elusive. Recently published in Neuron, a study has shown that the hippocampus retrieves memory by activating networks in the cerebral cortex, providing an insight into the biological basis of learning and memory.
(10/23/14 2:16pm)
Sensory input from the external world profoundly influences homeostasis and evokes complex behavioral output important for health maintenance and survival. One such critical sensory input is light, which allows us to visualize the outside world.
(10/16/14 7:14pm)
For a long time it was widely believed that the adult mammalian brain was incapable of generating new neurons. During early development, a significant amount of neurogenesis (production of new neurons) occurs in order to form the nervous system. This neurogenic program was thought to shut down during adulthood, rendering the brain lacking in neurogenic capabilities.
(10/09/14 5:46pm)
Before the advent of modern neuroscience, the brain was viewed as an impenetrable box.
(10/02/14 4:50pm)
A central tenet in biology holds that structure yields function. Whatever the cell does is significantly influenced by its morphology, or shape. For example, the morphology of neurons in the nervous system guides communication. On a macroscopic level, neurons talk to each other in circuit-like networks. Neurons with long axons (one meter or even longer) will be able to communicate with other neurons located far away, whereas neurons with short axons (one micrometer, or 0.1 percent of a millimeter) talk to each other in small localized circuits.
(09/25/14 6:00pm)
Perhaps the most interesting conundrum of neuroscience is the nature of human consciousness. How does the three-pound mass of spongy brain tissue composed of approximately 100 billion neurons drive all aspects of the conscious mind, from emotions to creativity?