Neurophilosophy
Archives for November, 2008
The memory molecule
Posted by Mo on November 11, 2008 My first contribution to the Scientific American Mind Matters website is now online. The article, called “The Power of the Memory Molecule“, is about the recent study which showed that memories can be selectively erased from the brains of mice by altering levels of the enzyme αCaMKII.
Embryonic stem cells form functional brain tissue
Posted by Mo on November 10, 2008 A team of Japanese researchers has demonstrated that embryonic stem cells obtained from mice and humans can spontaneously organize themselves into cortical tissues when grown in a culture dish under special conditions. Reporting in the journal Cell Stem Cell, the researchers show that the neurons generated form functioning short-range and long-range connections, and can be …
You cannot be serious! Perceptual errors by professional tennis referees
Posted by Mo on November 4, 2008 The Men’s Final of the 1981 Wimbledon Tennis Championships is one of the most memorable events in sporting history. John McEnroe, who was playing against Bjorn Borg, famously challenged one of the referee’s calls by throwing a tantrum, during which he shouted the immortal line “You cannot be serious!” McEnroe’s outburst was controversial, and he…
Brain power
Posted by Mo on November 3, 2008 Yesterday’s episode of the CBS programme 60 Minutes featured this report called Brain Power, about the use of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) by a number of patients who have been paralysed by various conditions. (The 12-minute report is preceded by a commercial.) Generally speaking, BCIs record the electrical activity of the pre-motor or motor cortex, which…
Memories are made of molecular motors
Posted by Mo on November 3, 2008 Learning and memory are widely thought to involve long-term potentiation (LTP), a form of synaptic plasticity in which a neuron’s response to the chemical signals it receives is enhanced. This leads to a strengthening of the neuronal circuit, so that the memory encoded in the circuit can persist for long periods of time. One of…