DAVID ADAM If you never forget a face, you probably carry a ghostly, bland picture of Mr or Mrs Average in your mind's eye, new research suggests. This image helps you to recognize a long-lost friend with a big nose, for example, because their most striking feature is very different to the one on the face stored in your head. But live among big-nosed people for years, and your imaginary model could change - so that you unwittingly ignore your friend in the street. 1.Leopold, D. A., O'Toole, A. J., Vetter, T. & Blanz, V. Prototype-referenced shape encoding revealed by high-level aftereffects. Nature Neuroscience 4, 89–94 (2001). © Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2000 - NATURE NEWS SERVICE Nature © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2000 Reg. No. 785998 England.

Keyword: Vision
Link ID: 139 - Posted: 06.24.2010

DAVID ADAM Some people can instantly solve mathematical conundrums that leave even their most intelligent colleagues floundering. New research suggests that such genius is made, not born. You could even be one yourself. In fact, there are probably more gifted souls around than you think. Look out for waiters, for instance, who can reel off 20 main course selections without glancing at the menu. 1.Pesenti, M. et al. Mental calculation in a prodigy is sustained by right prefrontal and medial temporal areas. Nature Neuroscience 4, 103–107 (2001). © Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2000 - NATURE NEWS SERVICE Nature © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2000 Reg. No. 785998 England.

Keyword: Miscellaneous
Link ID: 138 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Scientists Identify Molecular 'Planner' That Helps Brain Reorganize Technology Implemented to Create a Smarter Mouse Scientists have used a molecule to help re-wire the brain as an animal is forced to learn from new experiences, much like a highway planner alters a complicated road system working its way through a congested, bustling neighborhood. The study, published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, marks the first time scientists have been able to pinpoint a specific molecule that assists the brain to reorganize in the face of new experiences. In the study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, neuroscientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center found that genetically engineered mice that were challenged with new tasks enhanced their abilities to learn. Then, in results published in Human Gene Therapy, the Rochester team was able to make a line of mice smarter by boosting the amount of the molecule, nerve growth factor (NGF), in their brains. These mice learned to run unfamiliar mazes more quickly than their unmodified counterparts. ©Copyright University of Rochester Medical Center, 1999-2000.

Keyword: Regeneration
Link ID: 137 - Posted: 10.20.2001

St. Louis, Dec. 26, 2000 - Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have imaged language areas of the brain during recovery from stroke. This glimpse into the brain's natural rehabilitation pattern could lead to a better understanding of normal language processes and help optimize stroke therapy. The study is reported in the Dec. 26 issue of the journal Neurology. Each year, 750,000 Americans suffer a temporary loss of blood flow to the brain, known as an ischemic stroke. Often, patients experience problems with speech and language, particularly after a stroke to the left side of the brain. Remarkably, many recover the majority of their language abilities within six to twelve months. Rosen HJ, Petersen SE, Linenweber MR, Snyder AZ, White DA, Chapman L, Dromerick AW, Fiez JA, Corbetta M. Neural correlates of recovery from aphasia after damage to left inferior frontal cortex. Neurology, Dec. 26, 2000.

Keyword: Stroke
Link ID: 136 - Posted: 10.20.2001

New Efforts Against an Old Foe: Pain By LAURIE TARKAN When Frances first entered the Brandywine Nursing Home in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and severe osteoporosis, she was suffering from intense pain in her back and hips. Doctors there prescribed mild pain medicines including Tylenol, but nothing brought relief. "I felt that they didn't really understand the extent of my pain," said Frances, 57, who spoke on the condition that she not be further identified. "I think they felt it was just arthritis and it wasn't serious, but it was very debilitating. Some nurses would dismiss the pain as just anxiety." Copyright 2000 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Pain & Touch
Link ID: 135 - Posted: 10.20.2001

The brain's glial cells are starting to take over some of the spotlight that was once only focused on the brain's neurons. Traditionally, glial cells were considered ho-hum supporting actors to the star neurons that communicate with one another to process our thoughts. Now, following a group of recent studies, researchers have found an increasing amount of evidence that suggests a category of glial cells, termed astrocytes, play an active role in brain function by affecting the activity of neurons. The findings are providing new insights into how the brain functions as well as new targets for clinical interventions. Copyright © 2000 Society for Neuroscience. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without permission of the Society for Neuroscience.

Keyword: Glia
Link ID: 133 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Salmon puzzle: Why did males turn female? Janet Raloff Every year, rivers of chinook-the Pacific's largest salmon-leave the ocean for an upstream trek into the streams of their birth. When these 4-to-6-year-olds reach home, they spawn and die. Surprisingly, a new study finds, most of the moms in one of Washington State's major spawning populations appear to have begun their lives as males. "This is clearly abnormal," notes James J. Nagler, a fish reproductive biologist at the University of Idaho in Moscow. The findings that he and his colleagues reported late last week worry several environmental scientists. From Science News, Vol. 158, No. 26 & 27, Dec. 23 & 30, 2000, p. 404. Copyright © 2000 Science Service. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Evolution
Link ID: 132 - Posted: 10.20.2001

By GINA KOLATA
Two of the most rigorous studies yet completed on the relationship between cellular phones and brain tumors have found that cell-phone users are no more likely than anyone else to develop benign tumors or malignant brain cancers. One study, supported by the National Cancer Institute, was released last night, weeks ahead of its scheduled publication in The New England Journal of Medicine, to match a similar study, which was paid for by the cell-phone industry and the federal government, that is being published today in The Journal of the American Medical Association. Copyright 2000 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Miscellaneous
Link ID: 131 - Posted: 10.20.2001

New Neuronal Signaling Pathway Breaks All the Rules by Dan Ferber Researchers have discovered an entirely new way of passing messages between brain cells. Rather than shuttling a chemical messenger between two neurons, the brain uses an intermediary cell called an astrocyte, which until now has been thought to play only a supporting role in neural signaling. The chemical messenger itself is a highly unusual inverted amino acid that occurs nowhere else in the body. The new signaling system offers researchers a new target for drugs to head off the massive brain damage that occurs following a stroke, says Solomon Snyder of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who presented the results in a special lecture today to several thousand neuroscientists. Dan Ferber is a freelance science writer based in Urbana, Illinois. (c) Elsevier Science Limited 2000

Keyword: Stroke
Link ID: 130 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Safe sex leaves a bitter taste DAVID ADAM Sex can save your life - if you are a female moth. Pick the right male and, in return for giving him his wicked way, new research reveals that he will douse you in a potent chemical that fends off the unwanted attentions of spiders. The nuptial gift is a bitter-tasting alkaloid that the male moth takes from plants such as the dog fennel (Eupatorium capillifolium). Within hours it spreads through his body, making him taste awful to spiders and other predators. It has long been known that he can pass this protection to females in his seminal fluid. But this can take up to a day to make the female fully predator-proof, leaving her - and his genes within her - vulnerable. 1.Conner, W. E. et al. Chemical defence: bestowal of a nuptial alkaloid garment by a male moth on its mate. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 97, 14406–14411 (2000). © Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2000 - NATURE NEWS SERVICE Nature © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2000 Reg. No. 785998 England.

Keyword: Evolution
Link ID: 128 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Pecked lunch JULIETTE SHACKLETON It's winter, it's cold and you're hungry. But where did you stash your lunch? If you're a bird in the Rocky Mountains of North America, finding your food could just be a matter of getting your bearings. Clark's nutcrackers (Nucifraga columbiana) may take compass bearings from numerous landmarks to help them relocate the pine seeds they hid away during the Autumn, suggest Alan Kamil at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in Nebraska and Ken Cheng of Macquarie University in Sydney. 1.Kamil, A. C. & Cheng, K. Way-finding and landmarks: The multiple-bearings hypothesis. Journal of Experimental Biology, 204, 101-113 (2001). © Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2000 - NATURE NEWS SERVICE Nature © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2000 Reg. No. 785998 England.

Keyword: Learning & Memory
Link ID: 127 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Dolphins Double-Talk, Manatees Say "Eh?" NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA--All animals may be created equal, but some are more equal than others are. Dolphins are better communicators than previously thought, reported marine biologists at the Acoustical Society of America's meeting here last week--and manatees seem to be as dumb as their floating-sausage appearance would suggest. For years, marine biologists have been struggling to figure out how toothed whales such as the bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, make the clicks and squeals that they use to communicate and navigate. According to Ted Cranford, a biologist at San Diego State University, some of the bottlenose's calls are so complex that they are "more easily explained if they have two generators inside the head, operating independently." --CHARLES SEIFE Copyright © 2000 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Keyword: Animal Communication
Link ID: 126 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Old Flies May Hold Secrets of Aging Sensible people know better than to believe in pills that promise perpetual youth. But otherwise sensible biologists are excited about the implications of a newly detected gene that, when altered, can double the life-span of fruit flies. Earlier research has shown that worms, fruit flies, and rodents live longer on a spartan diet. Geneticist Stephen Helfand and his team at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington suspect that their new longevity gene, dubbed "Indy" for "I'm not dead yet," can lead to production of a protein that renders metabolism less efficient. As a result, the body functions as if the fruit fly were dieting, even though its eating habits are unchanged. --ELIZABETH PENNISI Copyright © 2000 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Keyword: Alzheimers
Link ID: 125 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Immune proteins play role in brain development and remodeling Discovery suggests new theory for dyslexia, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis Boston, MA-December 15, 2000-Two immune proteins found in the brains of mice help the brain develop and may play key roles in triggering developmental disorders like dyslexia and neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson's Disease, according to a Harvard Medical School study reported in today's issue of Science. Although neuroscientists have recently found evidence that the brain is subject to immune surveillance, the Harvard researchers were surprised to discover the mouse brain also produces its own immune molecules, the proteins Class I MHC and CD3-zeta. In the immune system, the two proteins act as part of a lock and key system to recognize and rid the body of foreign invaders. In the brain, they may be part of a signaling system that recognizes and eliminates inappropriate neural connections.

Keyword: Dyslexia
Link ID: 124 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Auditory Illusion Shaped by First Language Newport Beach, California--Neuropsychologists may wind up owing a debt to the devil--an auditory illusion known as the "devil in music," that is. How the illusion is perceived depends on what language a listener grew up speaking, researchers reported here on 7 December at the Acoustical Society of America's 140th meeting. And those perceptions might ultimately help psychologists understand how the brain wires itself during childhood. --CHARLES SEIFE Copyright © 2000 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Keyword: Hearing
Link ID: 123 - Posted: 10.20.2001

A New SPIN on an Old THEORY Students twirl to test for '6th' directional sense in humans Chuck Squatriglia, Chronicle Staff Writer Tuesday, December 12, 2000 Audrie Lee volunteered to nauseate herself the other day in the name of science. The freshman at the University of California at Berkeley was a guinea pig in a dizzying test of a 20-year-old theory that says humans -- like birds, bees and bacteria -- can find their way using only Earth's magnetic field. E-mail Chuck Squatriglia at csquatriglia@sfchronicle.com ©2000 San Francisco Chronicle Page A24

Keyword: Miscellaneous
Link ID: 122 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Human Neurogenesis Group demonstrates that adult human brains grow new cells after all By Jennifer Fisher Wilson Because of a long-established fact that human brains simply cannot replace dead neurons, scientists considered brain damage irreversible and neurological disease in the elderly unstoppable. In the research reported in this paper, however, investigators demonstrated that adult human brains generate new cells after all. Since then, scientists have been furiously studying the implications, and research in this area has accelerated. It was the first time that researchers had ever demonstrated human neurogenesis. Prior evidence had suggested that human neurogenesis occurred, but it wasn't until publication of research showing neurogenesis in the hippocampus that most scientists believed it. The Scientist 14[24]:23, Dec. 11, 2000 © Copyright 2000, The Scientist, Inc. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Development of the Brain
Link ID: 119 - Posted: 10.20.2001

A Destiny of Autism? By following clues left by thalidomide--the drug that caused infamous birth-defects--researchers have identified a gene on chromosome 7 that may be responsible for some cases of autism. Meanwhile, another study has shown that a long stretch of chromosome 15 may hold even more genes that predispose kids to the disorder. Autism afflicts about 1 in every 500 children, leaving them unable to relate to other people or communicate and causing repetitive and stereotyped behavior and, frequently, mental retardation. Researchers have implicated at least three and perhaps as many as 15 genes in the disorder, and they suspect that toxic chemicals may also play a role. --CONSTANCE HOLDEN Copyright © 2000 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Keyword: Autism
Link ID: 118 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Wide repertoire wins mates DAVID ADAM Birds with the brightest prospects, like the devil, seem to have all the best tunes. Female great reed warblers choose males who sing the widest repertoire of songs because it shows they were well brought up, new research suggests. Songs are learned at a vulnerable stage of fledgling development, so Stephen Nowicki of Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, and his colleagues predict, adult males with the most tunes were well fed as youngsters - turning them into eligible bachelors. 1.Nowicki, S., Hasselquist, D., Bensch, S. & Peters, S. Nestling growth and song repertoire size in great reed warblers: evidence for song learning as an indicator mechanism in mate choice. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London 267, 2419-2424 (2000). Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2000 - NATURE NEWS SERVICE Nature © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2000 Reg. No. 785998 England.

Keyword: Evolution
Link ID: 117 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Certain memories may rest on a good sleep Bruce Bower When practicing a musical piece, a gymnastics move, or any other activity that depends on effortless, virtually automatic execution, here's some memory-enhancing advice: If you snooze, you cruise. That, at least, is the implication of two new studies in which people who practiced a task that demands quick visual processing performed it better on ensuing trials if they were first allowed to get some sleep. From Science News, Vol. 158, No. 23, Dec. 2, 2000, p. 358. Copyright © 2000 Science Service. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Learning & Memory
Link ID: 116 - Posted: 10.20.2001