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Stories filed under: "astrocytes"

DailyDirt: Messing With Mice Brains

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

The genes that make humans distinct from other animals are being narrowed down. We have a lot in common with other mammals and especially other primates, but relatively tiny differences in a set of genes could explain how human language and intelligence evolved and developed. Understanding the complexity of human intelligence and genetics will likely take decades or longer — and we may never fully understand every aspect of consciousness. However, we’re making some progress and creating some smarter mice along the way. Check out a few of these experiments.

• Injecting human astrocytes (the most abundant cells found in the brain) into a mouse brain actually makes mice measurably smarter. This isn’t exactly the beginnings of the rats of NIMH, but the researchers are going to try rats next…. [url]
• Activating a certain gene called HARE5 (“human-accelerated regulatory enhancers”) leads to the development of bigger brains in humans — and perhaps other mammals like mice and chimpanzees. A mouse embryo treated with a human HARE5 sequence developed a 12% larger brain than a mouse embryo with a chimpanzee HARE5 gene. [url]
• Hundreds of mice have been genetically engineered to express the human version of the FOXP2 gene — a gene linked to speech and language. The resulting mice were able to learn a maze faster than control mice. And are you pondering what I’m pondering? [url]
• The ARHGAP11B gene could be a unique gene for developing modern humans’ massive neocortex. Adding this gene in mice gave them larger neocortices and brain folds (mice brains are usually tiny and smooth) — but the mice weren’t necessarily more intelligent. [url]

If you’d like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: animals, arhgap11b gene, astrocytes, brains, dna, evolution, foxp2 gene, genes, genetics, hare5 gene, intelligence, mice, neocortex, nihm

DailyDirt: Building Better Brains

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Our brains are pretty important organs. Obviously, so are organs like skin and kidneys, but the human brain is what sets people apart from other animals. We still don’t know that much about how our brains work, but that’s not stopping some fascinating research that could extend our brains’ capabilities with technology. Some of this research could help us do more with the brains we have or help keep our brains in tip-top shape as we age. Here are just a few brain projects off the top of my head.

• The first non-invasive human brain-to-brain interface has been demonstrated — one person’s mind was able to cause another person’s finger to move. Brain activity from the controller brain (belonging to a professor of computer science and engineering) was recorded using an electroencephalography machine, and that signal was transmitted over the internet to a transcranial magnetic stimulation coil positioned over the left motor cortex of a research assistant professor in psychology. #HelloGhostInTheShell [url]
• An immature human brain has been grown in a petri dish — resembling the brain of a 9 week old fetus at just 3-4 millimeter long. Researchers needed a brain model to study various illnesses, so they grew this one. And now we can feed zombies without killing people. [url]
• In one study, mice brains injected with human brain cells developed better learning ability and memory, compared to normal mice. The research suggests that certain types of brain cells (glia/astrocytes) play an important role in cognitive functions, and these human brain cells outperform those of normal mice. [url]

If you’d like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: astrocytes, biology, biotech, brains, cognition, glia, hmi, memory