Neuroscience

Stable connections between nerve cells are the basis of memory

Memories are part of our lives, the good and the bad. Through our senses, experiences reach our brain where networks of nerve cells encode them into a memory. It was previously unclear why only certain nerve cells join together ...

Genetics

DNA repair supports brain cognitive development

It's a fact of life that things break down. And when they do, whether it's your car, the roof, or a blocked artery, there are people who we can call to help with the repairs. A lesser known fact of life is that DNA also regularly ...

Neuroscience

The brain's auto-complete function

When looking at a picture of a sunny day at the beach, we can almost smell the scent of sun screen. Our brain often completes memories and automatically brings back to mind the different elements of the original experience. ...

Neuroscience

The brain's GPS has a buddy system

To be successful as a social animal, you need to know where you stand relative to others. Brain cells that perform precisely this function—locating the 'self' and others in space—have now been identified. In rats, the ...

Alzheimer's disease & dementia

Alzheimer's Tau protein forms toxic complexes with cell membranes

The brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease contain characteristic tangles inside neurons. These tangles are formed when a protein called Tau aggregates into twisted fibrils. As a result, the neurons' transport systems ...

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