Image by MAMJODH via Flickr Oxygen is the key to life. This is because it loves electrons. In the mitochondria of every cell in your body, oxygen (in is atmospheric O2 state) serves as the ultimate electron acceptor and provides the chemical energy that drives the formation of ATP (a form of chemical energy storage [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Neuron’
rs4880 knows that when I’m breathing I’m dying
Posted in SOD2, tagged aging, Brain, Mental health, Mitochondrion, Neuron, Oxygen, Reactive oxygen species, Superoxide, Superoxide dismutase on February 19, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
HoxB8 is more Itchy & Scratchy than Kim Kardashian
Posted in HOXB8, tagged Conditions and Diseases, grooming, Neurological Disorders, Neuron, obsessive-compulsive, Perception, Peripheral nervous system, Spinal cord on January 30, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Image by BiggerPictureImages.com via Flickr Sometimes, when flipping channels late at night, its hard NOT to stop and gawk at the various spectacles on reality-trash-TV. No self-respecting scientist would admit to being smitten by all the vanity and preening – right? Well, back in 2002, there was a mouse whose homeobox-B8 gene was disrupted – [...]
Semaphorins integrate the sweetness and development of our cortical 6-layer cake
Posted in RLN, SEMA(1-7), tagged Brain, cerebral cortex, Circuitry, Cognition, Development, economics, Frontal lobe, Gene expression, Mental disorder, Mental health, Messenger RNA, neural migration, Neuron, Prefrontal cortex, schizophrenia, Stem cell, University of Pittsburgh on January 26, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Image via Wikipedia For a great many reasons, research on mental illness is focused on the frontal cortex. Its just a small part of the brain, and certainly, many things can go wrong in other places during brain/cognitive development, but, it remains a robust finding, that when the frontal cortex is not working well, individuals [...]
rs4680 helps me tonically ponder the Burger King menu and phasically choose the least healthy items
Posted in COMT, Cingulate cortex, Frontal cortex, Hippocampus, tagged Brain, economics, Frontal lobe, Functional magnetic resonance imaging, Gene expression, Mental disorder, Mental health, Neuron, Parkinson's disease, Gene, Cognition, Neural network on January 20, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
One of the complexities in beginning to understand how genetic variation relates to cognitive function and behavior is that – unfortunately – there is no gene for “personality”, “anxiety”, “memory” or any other type of “this” or “that” trait. Most genes are expressed rather broadly across the entire brain’s cortical layers and subcortical systems. So, [...]
Genetic causes and non-genetic consequences of schizophrenia play out within 2mm of neocortex
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Archives of General Psychiatry, Brain, cerebral cortex, Development, Frontal lobe, Genetics, Mental disorder, Mental health, neocortex, Neuron, schizophrenia, synapse, synaptogenesis on November 15, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Image by Biking Nikon PDX via Flickr One of the difficult aspects of understanding mental illness, is separating the real causes of the illness from what might be secondary or tertiary consequences of having the illness. If you think about a car whose engine is not running normally, there may be many observable things going [...]
Astrocytes hold dendrites in a warm thrombospondin embrace
Posted in CACNA2D1, THBS1, THBS2, tagged CACNA2D1, Chemical synapse, Dendrite, Dendritic spine, Development, gabapentin, Neuron, neurontin, synaptogenesis, Voltage-dependent calcium channel on November 3, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
If you compare the left panel to the right panel, you’ll see a dendrite (grey) with dendritic spines (green) on the left-side and then, on the right-side, these spines enveloped by the membrane of an astrocyte (white). These images were obtained from synapse-web.org who use a method known as 3D reconstruction of serial section electron [...]
Building and maintaining synapses
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Brain, Chemical synapse, Development, Genetics, Human behavior, Neuron, Psychology, synapse, synaptic plasticity on October 17, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Phrenological thinking, a popular pseudoscientific practice in the 1800′s suggested that the structure of the head and underlying brain held the clues to understanding human behavior. Today, amidst the ongoing convergence of developmental science, molecular & biochemical science and systems-dynamical science (to name just a few), there is – of course – no single or [...]
Nature meets nurture on BDNF promoter IV
Posted in BDNF, tagged Development, Epigenetics, Gene expression, Neuron, BDNF, Biology, Genetics, Rett Syndrome, Michael Merzenich, CREB on October 5, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
According to Joseph LeDoux, “One of the most important contributions of modern neuroscience has been to show that the nature/nurture debate operates around a false dichotomy: the assumption that biology, on one hand, and lived experience, on the other, affect us in fundamentally different ways” (ref). Indeed. While I know not where the current debate [...]
Too much yin and not enough yang in cortical networks of MeCP2 mutant mice
Posted in MECP2, tagged autism, Development, Epigenetics, Gene, Gene expression, Long-Term Potentiation, MECP2, Mental disorder, Mental health, Mental retardation, Neural network, Neuron, Rett Syndrome on September 30, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Image via Wikipedia In previous posts, we have explored some of the basic molecular (de-repression of chromatin structure) and cellular (excess synaptogenesis) consequences of mutations in the MeCP2 gene – a.k.a the gene whose loss of function gives rise to Rett syndrome. One of the more difficult aspects of understanding how a mutation in a [...]
Support staff deserves some of the blame for Rett syndrome deficits
Posted in MECP2, White matter, tagged Ari Gold, autism, Development, Glial cell, MECP2, Mental disorder, Neural development, Neuron, Rett Syndrome, White matter on September 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Celebrities and politicians are known for their love of the spotlight. “Me, me, me!” are the words to get ahead by in our modern media circus. As well, it can even be – in the unglamorous world of science – where, in characteristically geeky form, the conventional wisdom is to shout, “my hypothesis, my [...]
Timing is everything – K+ channel bears the evidence across milliseconds and millenia
Posted in KCNH2, tagged 23andMe, Action potential, Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, Frontal lobe, Gene, Gene expression, Hippocampus, Neuron, schizophrenia, Single-nucleotide polymorphism on August 22, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
**PODCAST accompanies this post** In the brain, as in other aspects of life, timing is everything. On an intuitive level, its pretty clear, that, since neurons have to work together in widely distributed networks, they have a lot of incentive to talk to each other in a rhythmic, organized way. Think of a choir that [...]
They’ve got NERVE
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Brain, Education, Neuron on March 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Just stumbled onto this great educational resource …. From an article that describes NERVE: We’ve Got NERVE: A Call to Arms for Neuroscience Education Kyle J. Frantz, Colleen D. McNerney and Nicholas C. Spitzer “Are we neuroscientists doing our part to help revive science education, to stimulate teachers’ ingenuity, and diversify the intellectual capital among [...]
Dendritic branching a good thing ? sez6 sez it ain’t so
Posted in SEZ6, tagged Development, Mental disorder, Mouse, Mutation, Neuron, Seizure, SEZ6, synaptogenesis on January 7, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Image via Wikipedia If you like gardening, the doldrums of winter can be dreary indeed. Although I’d never admit to it, my neighbors might swear to having seen me outside strangely (pathetically) counting the number of branches on my icicle-laden roses and rhododendrons. In any case, I do admit to spending way too much time [...]
PSD-95 holds your long term memories in place
Posted in PSD95, tagged Memory, Neuron on August 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Image by pchow98 via Flickr One of the cool things about the brain & one of the ways in which it differs markedly from our current computer systems is that cells and synapses are living dynamic entities that grow and sprout new connections in response to experience. Since the 1980′s studies using protein synthesis inhibitors [...]
Foxa2 (+/-) trapped as first true model for Parkinson disease
Posted in Dopamine, FOXA2, tagged Development, Neuron, Parkinson's disease on December 28, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Image by Thomas Hawk via Flickr Mouse models of complex neurological illness are a powerful means to dissect molecular pathways and treatment paradigms. Current mouse models for the tremors and movement difficulties seen in Parkinson disease include genes such as parkin, alpha-synuclein, LRRK2, PINK1 and DJ-1. These models however, do not show the motor control [...]
‘How to’ guide for adult brain repair is written in genetic code
Posted in Olfactory bulb, tagged Neuron, Stem cell on December 25, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Image by koolkao via Flickr Damage to the human brain, ie. loss of cells due to programmed or non-programmed cell death is presently considered to be an irreversible fate. Many a skilled neurosurgeon can place new neurons or stem cells into damaged areas, but that does little good unless those cells are able to sprout [...]
Nothing is so much to be feared as the proton sensor ASIC1a
Posted in ASIC1a, Amygdala, Cingulate cortex, Glutamate, Stria terminalis, tagged Emotion, medication, Neuron on December 14, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Image via Wikipedia Many of the unpleasant feelings and physiological changes associated with fear and anxiety can be traced back to a tiny brain region known as the amygdala. Neuroimaging studies often find this region abnormally active in people having difficulty down-regulating negative emotions. It is no surprise then, that when genes that regulate innate [...]
Epigenetic perk keeps neurons bright-eyed and bushy tailed
Posted in BAF53b, SWI/SNF, tagged Epigenetics, Neuron, Stem cell on December 2, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Image via Wikipedia There is rightly much ado over the recent stem cell breakthrough. Indeed, who wouldn’t want to have an eternal supply of sprightly new cells to swap in to replace run-down geezer cells. Swapping in a neuron, however, is not quite so simple, as these cells are highly differentiated with far reaching projections [...]
GPR6 teaches B.F. Skinner that actions have consequences
Posted in G-protein, GPR6, Striatum, tagged Addiction, B.F. Skinner, Basal Ganglia, Cognition, Dopamine, Genetics, inhibition, Neuron, Operant conditioning on November 24, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Image via Wikipedia I’m not sure what Skinner would have thought, but its clear that, nowadays, mechanisms of behavior can be understood in terms of dynamic changes in neural systems and, furthermore, that individual differences in these neural dynamics are heavily regulated by genetic variation. Consider the recent paper by Lobo et al., “Genetic control [...]
Who are you? & thanks for your interest!
Topics/tags of interest
Posting since April 2007
-
Top Clicks
-
Blog Stats
- 36,222 clickitas
-
Remarks
Darlene Francis on About Giza on Epigenetics and cognitive deve… dendrite on homunculi Vicki Travis on homunculi Science on the Inter… on Inheritance of epigenetic… Topics of interest
- 5HTT (10)
- ABCB1 (1)
- acetylcholine (7)
- Actin (2)
- ACTN3 (1)
- ADH1C (1)
- ADORA2A (1)
- ADRA2A (3)
- AMPA receptor (2)
- Amygdala (8)
- Angular gyrus (1)
- ANK3 (1)
- APOE (2)
- ARHGAP18 (1)
- ASIC1a (2)
- ASPM (2)
- ATXN1 (1)
- AVPR1a (4)
- BAF53b (1)
- Basal Ganglia (3)
- BDNF (7)
- CABYR (1)
- CACNA1C (1)
- CACNA2D1 (2)
- Caudate nucleus (2)
- CB1 receptor (1)
- CDC34 (1)
- CDH13 (1)
- Cell adhesion molecules (1)
- Cerebellum (4)
- CHAT (1)
- CHRM3 (1)
- CHRNA4 (1)
- CHRNA7 (1)
- Chromosome structural variants (6)
- Cingulate cortex (13)
- CNTNAP2 (4)
- Collateral sulcus (1)
- COMT (8)
- Corpus callosum (1)
- COX1 (1)
- CREB (2)
- CRHR1 (1)
- DARPP32 (4)
- DAT (2)
- default network (1)
- DISC1 (1)
- DLPFC (8)
- Dopamine (11)
- DRD2 (6)
- DRD4 (2)
- DTNBP1 (1)
- DYRK1A (1)
- EDA2R (1)
- EGR1 (1)
- Estrogen (1)
- FMR1 (1)
- FOXA2 (1)
- FOXP2 (3)
- Frontal cortex (19)
- Frontal pole (1)
- Fusiform gyrus (4)
- G-protein (3)
- GABA (3)
- GATA4 (1)
- Glucocorticoid receptor (1)
- Glutamate (5)
- GPR6 (1)
- GRIA3 (1)
- GRIK2 (1)
- GTPase (1)
- HDACs (3)
- Hippocampus (14)
- HOXB8 (1)
- HTR2A (1)
- Hypothalamus (2)
- Inferior frontal gyrus (1)
- Insula (3)
- Intronic or repetitive sequences (4)
- Kalirin (1)
- KCNA2 (1)
- KCNH2 (1)
- KCNJ6 (1)
- Kinesin (1)
- Lateral septum (1)
- Lateral ventricle (1)
- LDB1 (1)
- Leptin (1)
- LIMK1 (1)
- Locus coeruleus (1)
- MAOA (7)
- MCPH1 (1)
- MECP2 (5)
- MHC loci (4)
- Middle frontal gyrus (2)
- middle occipital gyrus (1)
- Middle temporal gyrus (3)
- Mindfulness (3)
- Motor cortex (1)
- Myelin (2)
- Neural crest (1)
- NEUROG1 (1)
- NLGN3/4 (1)
- Noradrenaline (5)
- NPSR1 (1)
- NRG1 (3)
- NRXB1 (2)
- NTRK2 (1)
- Nucleus accumbens (1)
- NURR1 (1)
- Olfactory bulb (1)
- OPRM1 (2)
- Orbitofrontal cortex (3)
- OTR (2)
- OXTR (1)
- Parahippocampal gyrus (3)
- Parietal cortex (2)
- PCLO (1)
- Posterior parietal cortex (2)
- PSD95 (2)
- Putamen (1)
- RARB (1)
- RGS2 (1)
- RGS4 (1)
- Rho GTPase (1)
- RLN (1)
- Rostral fronto-occipital fasciculus (1)
- RSRC1 (1)
- SAPAP3 (1)
- SEMA(1-7) (1)
- SEZ6 (1)
- SIRT1 (1)
- SLC1A1 (1)
- SLITRK1 (1)
- SNORD115 (1)
- SNRPN (1)
- SOD2 (1)
- Somatosensory cortex (1)
- SRPX2 (1)
- Stria terminalis (1)
- Striatum (9)
- Substantia nigra (1)
- Subthalamic nucleus (1)
- Superior temporal cortex (4)
- Suprachiasmatic nucleus (1)
- Supramarginal gyrus (2)
- SWI/SNF (1)
- Sylvian fissure (1)
- Temporal lobe (3)
- TGF-alpha (1)
- TH (1)
- Thalamus (3)
- Thap1 (1)
- THBS1 (2)
- THBS2 (2)
- Torsin A (1)
- TPH2 (2)
- UBE3A (1)
- UGT2B17 (1)
- Uncategorized (207)
- Vagus (1)
- VEGF (1)
- Ventral tegmental area (1)
- VGF (1)
- Visual cortex (4)
- White matter (8)
- ZNF804A (2)
-
Spam Blocked
