Neuron All neurons are electrically excitable, maintaining voltage gradients across their membranes by means of metabolically driven ion pumps, which combine with ion channels embedded in the membrane to generate intracellular-versus-extracellular concentration differences of ions such as sodium, potassium, chloride, and calcium. Changes in the cross-membrane voltage can alter the function of voltage-dependent ion channels. If the voltage changes by a large enough amount, an all-or-none electrochemical pulse called an action potential is generated, which travels rapidly along the cell's axon, and activates synaptic connections with other cells when it arrives. Neurons do not undergo cell division. In most cases, neurons are generated by special types of stem cells. Overview[edit] A neuron is a specialized type of cell found in the bodies of all eumetozoans. Many neurons fit the foregoing schema in every respect, but there are also exceptions to most parts of it. Anatomy and histology[edit]
Khan Academy - BRAINTEASERS Multitasking: This Is Your Brain On Media From Rasmussen College, Multitasking: This Is Your Brain On Media is a cool infographic design that looks at some of the research behind multitasking. New reports find that multi-taskers are “lousy at everything that’s necessary for multi-tasking.” Considering the amount of time people spend with around-the-clock access to TV, the Internet and mobile devices, it’s not surprising.This infographic looks at the causes and effects of multi-tasking. From a design perspective, I like the clean look with a simple color palate that is easy on the eyes. I love the brain diagrams. Found on Infographics Journal
Brain Atlas - Introduction The central nervous system (CNS) consists of the brain and the spinal cord, immersed in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Weighing about 3 pounds (1.4 kilograms), the brain consists of three main structures: the cerebrum, the cerebellum and the brainstem. Cerebrum - divided into two hemispheres (left and right), each consists of four lobes (frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal). The outer layer of the brain is known as the cerebral cortex or the ‘grey matter’. It covers the nuclei deep within the cerebral hemisphere e.g. the basal ganglia; the structure called the thalamus, and the ‘white matter’, which consists mostly of myelinated axons. – closely packed neuron cell bodies form the grey matter of the brain. Cerebellum – responsible for psychomotor function, the cerebellum co-ordinates sensory input from the inner ear and the muscles to provide accurate control of position and movement. Basal Ganglia Thalamus and Hypothalamus Ventricles Limbic System Reticular Activating System Neurons Glia
Morality Quiz/Test your Morals, Values & Ethics - Your Morals.Org Musicians use both sides of their brains more frequently. A colleague pointed me to this interesting (to me, because I'm a pianist) work by Sohee Park's laboratory at Vanderbilt. Their central finding is that professionally trained musicians more effectively use divergent thinking (the ability to come up with new solutions to open-ended, multifaceted problems, or thinking 'outside of the box'). Creative thinking was tested both with written word association test and by asking subjects to make up new functions for a variety of household objects. Brain activity was measured by near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), a noninvasive neuroimaging method that allows in-vivo measurement of changes in the concentrations of oxygenated hemoglobin and deoxygenated hemoglobin in the cortex. They suggest that musician's elevated use of both brain hemispheres may be related to having to use two hands independently, as well as follow multiple voices on musical scores.
UCSB scientists discover how the brain encodes memories at a cellular level (Santa Barbara, Calif.) –– Scientists at UC Santa Barbara have made a major discovery in how the brain encodes memories. The finding, published in the December 24 issue of the journal Neuron, could eventually lead to the development of new drugs to aid memory. The team of scientists is the first to uncover a central process in encoding memories that occurs at the level of the synapse, where neurons connect with each other. "When we learn new things, when we store memories, there are a number of things that have to happen," said senior author Kenneth S. "One of the most important processes is that the synapses –– which cement those memories into place –– have to be strengthened," said Kosik. This is a neuron. (Photo Credit: Sourav Banerjee) Part of strengthening a synapse involves making new proteins. The production of new proteins can only occur when the RNA that will make the required proteins is turned on. When the signal comes in, the wrapping protein degrades or gets fragmented.
Digital Games for Brains By: Alvaro Fernandez The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) just announced more than $1.85 million in grants for research teams to study how digital games can improve players’ health behaviors and outcomes (both brain-based and behavioral). The press release: Nine Leading Research Teams Selected to Study How Digital Games Improve Players’ Health “Digital games are interactive and experiential, and so they can engage people in powerful ways to enhance learning and health behavior change, especially when they are designed on the basis of well-researched strategies,” said (UC Santa Barbara’s Dr. All 9 studies sound interesting, 3 of them are closer to what we track: University of California, San Francisco (San Francisco, CA) A Video Game to Enhance Cognitive Health in Older Adults. The press release: Here. More information: Health Games Research. Related articles:
Cool Brain Art Last month was the conclusion of Brain-Art Competition 2011, and some of the entries are really intriguing. There were four categories of entry: Best 3-Dimensional Brain RenderingBest Representation of the Human ConnectomeBest Abstract Brain IllustrationBest Humorous Brain Illustration The winner in the 3-D category was Rebrain by Robert Toro (above). More brain art: The Brain Tree by Silje Soeviknes Andy Warhol for Neuroscientists I by Valerie van Mulukom View the entire gallery of entries in this year’s competition here. art, brain art
The Learning Brain Gets Bigger--Then Smaller With age and enough experience, we all become connoisseurs of a sort. After years of hearing a favorite song, you might notice a subtle effect that’s lost on greener ears. Perhaps you’re a keen judge of character after a long stint working in sales. Whatever your hard-learned skill is, your ability to hear, see, feel, or taste with more nuance than a less practiced friend is written in your brain. One classical line of work has tackled these questions by mapping out changes in brain organization following intense and prolonged sensory experience. But don’t adopt that slogan quite yet. If you were to look at the side of someone’s brain, focusing on the thin sliver of auditory cortex, it would seem fairly uniform, with only a few blood vessels to provide some bearing. One of the great neuroscience findings of the past several decades is that the ‘state lines’ of the auditory map (as well as many other sensory maps) are redrawn after training. So what does change? Are you a scientist?
Spiel Portugal Spiel Portugal Das Spiel dreht sich rund um kulturelles, geschichtliches, politisches und wirtschaftliches Wissen über Portugal. Es soll zum einen die Möglichkeit bieten, bereits Bekanntes abzufragen und noch ein paar Informationen über Portugal hinzu zu lernen. Die Karten können kopiert, erweitert und in jeglicher Weise verändert werden (z.B. mit Corel). Drucken Sie sich hierzu das Spielbrett, die Anleitung und die Spielkarten aus. Spielbrett (jpg-Bild, 119 KB) Anleitung (pdf, 19,3 KB) Spielkarten (zip-gepackter Ordner, 2,7 MB)
Stuttering Reflects Irregularities in Brain Setup Put on a pair of headphones and turn up the volume so that you can’t even hear yourself speak. For those who stutter, this is when the magic happens. Without the ability to hear their own voice, people with this speech impediment no longer stumble over their words—as was recently portrayed in the movie The King’s Speech. This simple trick works because of the unusual way the brain of people who stutter is organized—a neural setup that affects other actions besides speech, according to a new study. Normal speech requires the brain to control movement of the mouth and vocal chords using the sound of the speaker’s own voice as a guide. In the new study, published in the September issue of Cortex, researchers found that the unusual neural organization underlying a stutter also includes motor tasks completely unrelated to speech.
Meditation found to increase brain size Kris Snibbe/Harvard News Office Sara Lazar (center) talks to research assistant Michael Treadway and technologist Shruthi Chakrapami about the results of experiments showing that meditation can increase brain size. People who meditate grow bigger brains than those who don’t. Researchers at Harvard, Yale, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found the first evidence that meditation can alter the physical structure of our brains. Brain scans they conducted reveal that experienced meditators boasted increased thickness in parts of the brain that deal with attention and processing sensory input. In one area of gray matter, the thickening turns out to be more pronounced in older than in younger people. “Our data suggest that meditation practice can promote cortical plasticity in adults in areas important for cognitive and emotional processing and well-being,” says Sara Lazar, leader of the study and a psychologist at Harvard Medical School. Controlling random thoughts
SharpBrains Here you can enjoy the Top 25 Brain Teasers, Games & Illusions that SharpBrains readers (primarily adults, but some younger minds too) have enjoyed the most. It is always good to learn more about our brains and to exercise them!. Fun experiments on how our brains and minds work 1. 2. 3. 4. Challenge your attention and memory 5. 6. 7. Optical illusions 8. 9. 10. 11. Language and logic puzzles 12. 13. 14. 15. A few visual workouts 16. 17. 18. Teasing your pattern recognition and thinking 19. 20. 21. 22. Brain teasers for job interviews 23. 24. 25.
Image by Thomas Deerinck / Mark Ellisman by kaspervandenberg Dec 23