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Sleep helps recalibrate brain cells responsible for learning and memory, mice study shows

Studying mice, scientists at Johns Hopkins have fortified evidence that a key purpose of sleep is to recalibrate the brain cells responsible for learning and memory so the animals can "solidify" lessons learned and use them when they awaken -- in the case of nocturnal mice, the next evening.

3 Feb 2017

UW study offers visual proof of how brain synapses shrink during sleep

Striking electron microscope pictures from inside the brains of mice suggest what happens in our own brain every day: Our synapses - the junctions between nerve cells - grow strong and large during the stimulation of daytime, then shrink by nearly 20 percent while we sleep, creating room for more growth and learning the next day.

3 Feb 2017

Single Molecule Detection of Proteins in Single Cells

We developed this technology almost 10 years ago. It was developed after a key experiment was carried out by David Rissin, who was a PhD candidate in my laboratory at the time.

From Pittcon 3 Feb 2017

GIANT study uncovers new, rare DNA changes that affect human height

In the largest, deepest search to date, the international Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits Consortium has uncovered 83 new DNA changes that affect human height.

3 Feb 2017

Patients with depression can be successful by letting go of unattainable goals,say psychologists

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!" This saying is drummed into us from a young age, when our tower of building blocks keeps collapsing or we just can't get the hang of riding a bicycle.

3 Feb 2017

Addicted individuals show weaker brain response to anticipating rewards, research finds

It may be difficult for addicted individuals to learn when they can expect a reward. This learning problem could perhaps explain why they are more prone to addiction and find it difficult to kick the habit.

3 Feb 2017

Changes in astronaut's gut microbes linked to spaceflight

Northwestern University researchers studying the gut bacteria of Scott and Mark Kelly, NASA astronauts and identical twin brothers, as part of a unique human study have found that changes to certain gut "bugs" occur in space.

3 Feb 2017

NMSU professor shows how imagery improves sport performance

Phillip Post is an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Dance at New Mexico State University.

2 Feb 2017

Sleep may be regulated by several brain-based immune proteins, study reveals

Sleep -- one of the most basic, yet most mystifying processes of the human body -- has confounded physicians, scientists and evolutionary biologists for centuries.

2 Feb 2017

Research unravels molecular mechanisms of antisense oligonucleotides

Stanley T. Crooke, MD, PhD, CEO of Ionis Pharmaceuticals and recipient of the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oligonucleotide Therapeutic Society presents a detailed look at the mechanisms that underlie antisense drug activity in the article entitled "Molecular Mechanisms of Antisense Oligonucleotides," published in Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. publishers.

2 Feb 2017

Researchers show how level of perinatal testosterone impacts person's earnings in life

Researchers from the Higher School of Economics have shown how the level of perinatal testosterone, the sex hormone, impacts a person's earnings in life.

2 Feb 2017

Virulence of bacterial infections dependent on presence of cytotoxins, study reports

Beginning in the mid-1980s, an epidemic of severe invasive infections caused by Streptococcus pyogenes (S. pyogenes), also known as group A streptococcus (GAS), occurred in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere.

2 Feb 2017

Researcher proposes simple, cost-effective tools for monitoring aerobic fitness

Although this system is already being used by professional sportspeople and teams, it cannot always be extended to amateur sportspeople or patients with limited economic resources because it requires supervision by qualified professionals.

2 Feb 2017

Study confirms that cocaine makes users more willing to partake in risky sex

Cocaine use has long been tied anecdotally to higher-than-usual rates of impulsive behavior, including risky sex, but the tie-in has been difficult to study with any scientifically controlled rigor.

2 Feb 2017

Study looking for toxicity markers in smokers who replace tobacco for e-cigarettes seeks volunteers

The first study to closely follow toxicity markers in smokers who replace tobacco for e-cigarettes is seeking volunteers.

2 Feb 2017

Nicotine creates cascade of effects in the brain that get worse over time

The first period of nicotine abstinence proceeded as expected. The surprise came after three months when the lab rats suddenly became fearless and sought out well-lighted areas that prey animals normally avoid. At the same time, signaling in the brain's reward system changed, as shown by a study at Sahlgrenska Academy.

2 Feb 2017

New analysis finds toxic highly fluorinated chemicals in fast food packaging

Many Americans, with the start of the New Year, will resolve to cut back on fast food to avoid an overload of fat and calories.

2 Feb 2017

New technology enables “completely locked-in” patients to communicate

A brain─computer interface has enabled people with “locked-in” syndrome to communicate, according to trial results published in PLOS Biology. The device was able to decipher the thoughts of four patients who were unable to speak, move or blink and relay “yes” or “no” answers to basic questions.

2 Feb 2017

People with autism see interests as possible fields of study and career paths

Adults on the autism spectrum see their interests as possible fields of study and career paths, as well as ways to mitigate anxiety, finds a study by NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.

2 Feb 2017

Frequent soccer ball heading could be common cause of concussion symptoms, study suggests

Frequent soccer ball heading is a common and under recognized cause of concussion symptoms, according to a study of amateur players led by Albert Einstein College of Medicine researchers.

2 Feb 2017