Neuroscience

Revolutionizing the revolutionary technology of optogenetics

The revolution that optogenetics technology has brought to biology—neuroscience in particular—could be transformed all over again if a new project getting underway at Brown University and Central Michigan University (CMU) ...

Neuroscience

'Lightning bolts' in the brain show learning in action

Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center have captured images of the underlying biological activity within brain cells and their tree-like extensions, or dendrites, in mice that show how their brains sort, store and make ...

Other

Why menthol chills your mouth when it's not actually cold

Try putting an ice-cube in your mouth. The insides of your mouth and tongue instantly turn numb. Hold it in still and you will feel pain. Now try sucking on peppermint. The mint itself is at room temperature, but your mouth ...

Medical research

Muscle weakness studies suggest possible therapeutic strategies

A recently published study by a University of Colorado School of Medicine researcher and her colleagues suggests potential therapies for central core disease, a condition that can delay development of motor skills such as ...

Neuroscience

Tackling neurotransmission precision

Behind all motor, sensory and memory functions, calcium ions are in the brain, making those functions possible. Yet neuroscientists do not entirely understand how fast calcium ions reach their targets inside neurons, and ...

Medical research

Here's how the prion protein protects us

The cellular prion protein (PrPC) has the ability to protect the brain's neurons. Although scientists have known about this protective physiological function for some time, they were lacking detailed knowledge of the molecular ...

Medical research

'Radiogenetics' seeks to remotely control cells and genes

It's the most basic of ways to find out what something does, whether it's an unmarked circuit breaker or an unidentified gene—flip its switch and see what happens. New remote-control technology may offer biologists a powerful ...

Medical research

The ryanodine receptor—calcium channel in muscle cells

Whenever muscles contract, so-called ryanodine receptors come into play. Calcium ions, which are ultimately responsible for the contraction of muscle cells, are released from storage organs and flow through these ion channels. ...

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