Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Brain Research: Discovering the brain’s memory switch ♦ : Your visual cortex is making decisions ♦ Discovering the brain’s memory switch

A natural history of neurons Our brain cells have different genomes from one another. The study shows for the first time that mutations in somatic cells -- that is, any cell in the body except sperm and eggs -- are present in significant numbers in the brains of healthy people. These mutations appear to occur more often in the genes a neuron uses most. Patterns of mutation allow researchers to trace brain cell lineages.
Discovering the brain’s memory switch Scientists have recorded evidence of the brain turning off its memory inhibitor to make new memories
Single neuron may carry over 1,000 mutations A single neuron in a normal adult brain likely has more than a thousand genetic mutations that are not present in the cells that surround it, according to new research. The majority of these mutations appear to arise while genes are in active use, after brain development is complete.
Surprise: Your visual cortex is making decisions The part of the brain responsible for seeing is more powerful than previously believed. In fact, the visual cortex can essentially make decisions just like the brain's traditional 'higher level' areas.
Virus-drug combination shows improved effectiveness against brain tumor cells A rabbit virus currently being developed for cancer therapy can be paired with one of several existing drugs to deliver a more potent punch to a deadly type of brain tumor cell,

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