Researchers at the University of Calgary have discovered the unique genes that allow the opium poppy to make codeine and morphine, thus opening doors to alternate methods of producing these effective painkillers either by manufacturing them in a lab or controlling the production of these compounds in the plant. “The enzymes encoded by these two [...]
Archive for the ‘Neuroscience’ Category
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Memory Loss Linked To Common Sleep Disorder
June 17th, 2010 For the first time, UCLA researchers have discovered that people with sleep apnea show tissue loss in brain regions that help store memory. Reported in the June 27 edition of the journal Neuroscience Letters, the findings emphasize the importance of early detection of the disorder, which afflicts an estimated 20 million Americans. Sleep apnea occurs [...]
Two Brain Circuits Involved With Habitual Learning
June 14th, 2010 Driving to and from work is a habit for most commuters – we do it without really thinking. But before our commutes became routine, we had to learn our way through trial-and-error exploration. A new study out of MIT has found that there are two brain circuits involved with this kind of learning and that [...]
Hand Study Reveals Brain’s Distorted Body Model
June 14th, 2010 Our brains contain a highly distorted model of our own bodies, according to scientists at UCL (University College London). A new study on the brain’s representation of the hand found that our model of our bodies is out of sync with reality — with a strong tendency to think that the hands are shorter and [...]
Children Who Lose a Parent to Suicide More Likely to Die the Same Way, Study Finds
June 12th, 2010 Losing a parent to suicide makes children more likely to die by suicide themselves and increases their risk of developing a range of major psychiatric disorders, according to a study led by Johns Hopkins Children’s Center that is believed to be the largest one to date on the subject A report on the findings will [...]
Two Brain Circuits Involved With Habitual Learning
June 10th, 2010 Driving to and from work is a habit for most commuters – we do it without really thinking. But before our commutes became routine, we had to learn our way through trial-and-error exploration. A new study out of MIT has found that there are two brain circuits involved with this kind of learning and that [...]
Drug Induces a Memory of Safety in Rat Brains
June 9th, 2010 Researchers have found a way to pharmacologically induce a memory of safety in the brain of rats, mimicking the effect of training. The finding suggests possibilities for new treatments for individuals suffering from anxiety disorders. Rats normally freeze when they hear a tone they have been conditioned to associate with an electric shock. The reaction [...]
Babies Grasp Number, Space and Time Concepts
June 7th, 2010 Even before they learn to speak, babies are organizing information about numbers, space and time in more complex ways than previously realized, a study led by Emory University psychologist Stella Lourenco finds. “We’ve shown that 9-month-olds are sensitive to ‘more than’ or ‘less than’ relations across the number, size and duration of objects. And what’s [...]
Undergrad Researchers Lay Groundwork for Drug Addiction Remedy
June 5th, 2010 Sarah Steele and Langtian “Ren” Yuan were both self-admittedly inexperienced Duke freshmen in the spring of 2006. But then they followed helpful directions of an assistant chemistry professor, added their own patience and ingenuity, and ended up identifying compounds that might allay the powerful cravings of methamphetamine and cocaine addiction. The two women, now seniors, [...]
Why Surprises Temporarily Blind Us???
March 15th, 2010 Reading this story requires you to willfully pay attention to the sentences and to tune out nearby conversations, the radio and other distractions. But if a fire alarm sounded, your attention would be involuntarily snatched away from the story to the blaring sound. New research from Vanderbilt University reveals for the first time how our [...]