 |
|
Technique used commonly in physics finds application in neuroscience
August 07, 2006Riverside, Calif. - To understand how brain cells release compounds (or transmitters) used when the cells communicate with each other, Vladimir Parpura, associate professor of neuroscience, and Umar Mohideen, professor of physics at UC Riverside, devised a new technique, used commonly in physics, that can be applied now to the study of a wide range of biological processes and interactions.
The researchers, who performed their experiments on brain proteins called SNAREs, published their results in the July issue of Biophysical Journal.
The technique, commonly referred to as Atomic Force Microscopy, uses the deflection of microfabricated membranes of silicon nitride, about 100 times thinner than the human hair, to measure very small forces. Using this technique on rat brain proteins, the researchers were able to measure the bonding between single protein molecules that are involved in the release of the neurotransmitters. They also were able to classify the strength of the molecular interactions (bonding) between 3 of the SNARE proteins that participate in the process.
SNARE proteins are located on vesicles (tiny membrane-encased packets that contain neurotransmitters or enzymes) and the plasma membrane of brain cells. These proteins are thought to play a key role in the final fusion of the synaptic vesicle with the plasma membrane, a process that makes communication between cells possible.
"Our results shed new light on how these proteins are involved in exocytosis-the process by which a biological cell releases substances into its environment," Parpura said. "We now understand better how these proteins interact at the molecular level and we can apply this to improve our detection of toxins acting on these proteins."
The researchers used the technique also to develop a sensor for detecting botulinum toxin, responsible for an often fatal type of food poisoning.
"Our sensor is extremely sensitive because it is capable of detecting interactions between two single molecules," Mohideen said. "As a result, the sample size you need for testing can be extremely small, of the order of a few molecules."
Technique used commonly in physics finds application in neuroscience
SNARE proteins are located on vesicles (tiny membrane-encased packets that contain neurotransmitters or enzymes) and the plasma membrane of brain cells. These proteins are thought to play a key role in the final fusion of the synaptic vesicle with the plasma membrane, a process that makes communication between cells possible.
"Our results shed new light on how these proteins are involved in exocytosis-the process by which a biological cell releases substances into its environment," Parpura said. "We now understand better how these proteins interact at the molecular level and we can apply this to improve our detection of toxins acting on these proteins."
The researchers used the technique also to develop a sensor for detecting botulinum toxin, responsible for an often fatal type of food poisoning.
"Our sensor is extremely sensitive because it is capable of detecting interactions between two single molecules," Mohideen said. "As a result, the sample size you need for testing can be extremely small, of the order of a few molecules."
Technique used commonly in physics finds application in neuroscience
Neuroscience Current Events and Neuroscience News RSSScientists find molecular trigger that helps prevent aging and disease
Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine set out to address a question that has been challenging scientists for years: How do dietary restriction-and the reverse, overconsumption-produce protective effects against aging and disease?
Can thinking of a loved one reduce your pain?
Yes, according to a new study by UCLA psychologists that underscores the importance of social relationships and staying socially connected.
Shape perception in brain develops by itself
Despite minimal exposure to the regular geometric objects found in developed countries, African tribal people perceive shapes as well as westerners, according to a new study.
Researchers find potential treatment for Huntington's disease
Investigators at Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham), the University of British Columbia's Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics and the University of California, San Diego have found that normal synaptic activity in nerve cells (the electrical activity in the brain that allows nerve cells to communicate with one another) protects the brain from the misfolded proteins associated with Huntington's disease.
New brain findings on dyslexic children
The vast majority of school-aged children can focus on the voice of a teacher amid the cacophony of the typical classroom thanks to a brain that automatically focuses on relevant, predictable and repeating auditory information, according to new research from Northwestern University.
Why can't chimps speak?
If humans are genetically related to chimps, why did our brains develop the innate ability for language and speech while theirs did not?
Neural mechanism reveals why dyslexic brain has trouble distinguishing speech from noise
New research reveals that children with developmental dyslexia have a deficit in a brain mechanism involved in the perception of speech in a noisy environment.
Mouse gene suppresses Alzheimer's plaques and tangles
Investigators at Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) and colleagues have identified a novel mouse gene (Rps23r1) that reduces the accumulation of two toxic proteins that are major players in Alzheimer's disease: amyloid beta and tau.
New UAB Study Sheds Light on Brain's Response to Distress, Unexpected Events
In a new study, psychologists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) are able to see in detail for the first time how various regions of the human brain respond when people experience an unexpected or traumatic event.
Theory about long and short-term memory questioned by UCL scientists
The long-held theory that our brains use different mechanisms for forming long-term and short-term memories has been challenged by new research from UCL, published today in PNAS.
More Neuroscience Current Events and Neuroscience News Articles
 |
Neuroscience, Fourth Edition by Dale Purves (Author) Neuroscience is a comprehensive textbook created primarily for medical, premedical, and undergraduate students. In a single concise and approachable volume, the text guides students through the challenges and excitement of this rapidly changing field. The book s length and accessibility of its writing are a successful combination that has proven to work equally well for medical students and in undergraduate neuroscience courses. Being both comprehensive and authoritative, the book is also appropriate for graduate and professional use. |
 |
Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain by Mark F Bear (Author), Barry W Connors (Author), Michael A Paradiso (Author) Widely praised for its student-friendly style and exceptional artwork and pedagogy, Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain is a leading undergraduate textbook on the biology of the brain and the systems that underlie behavior. This edition provides increased coverage of taste and smell, circadian rhythms, brain development, and developmental disorders and includes new information on molecular mechanisms and functional brain imaging. Path of Discovery boxes, written by leading researchers, highlight major current discoveries. In addition, readers will be able to assess their knowledge of neuroanatomy with the Illustrated Guide to Human Neuroanatomy, which includes a perforated self-testing workbook. This edition's robust ancillary package includes a bound-in student CD-ROM, an Instructor's... |
 |
Fundamental Neuroscience, Third Edition (Squire,Fundamental Neuroscience) by Larry R. Squire (Editor), Darwin Berg (Editor), Floyd Bloom (Editor), Sascha du Lac (Editor), Anirvan Ghosh (Editor) Fundamental Neuroscience, 3rd Edition introduces graduate and upper-level undergraduate students to the full range of contemporary neuroscience. Addressing instructor and student feedback on the previous edition, all of the chapters are rewritten to make this book more concise and student-friendly than ever before. Each chapter is once again heavily illustrated and provides clinical boxes describing experiments, disorders, and methodological approaches and concepts. A companion web site contains test questions, and an imagebank of the figures for ready use in presentations, slides, and handouts. Capturing the promise and excitement of this fast-moving field, Fundamental Neuroscience, 3rd Edition is the text that students will be able to reference throughout their neuroscience... |
 |
Essential Neuroscience by Allan Siegel (Author), Hreday N Sapru (Author) Essential Neuroscience, Revised First Edition, offers medical and health professions students a concise, clinically relevant text that gives equal weight to the branches of science represented within neuroscience: anatomy, physiology, biology, and chemistry. In this balanced treatment, it distinguishes itself from other competing textbooks. Featuring a unique "building block" approach, Essential Neuroscience, Revised First Edition, now includes the book's fully searchable online text as well as key updates and revisions. |
 |
The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy: Building and Rebuilding the Human Brain by Louis Cozolino (Author) Proposing a reconciliation between neuroscience and psychotherapy. Many forms of psychotherapy, developed in the absence of any understanding of the brain, are now supported by neuroscientific findings. This book argues that the brain is an organ of adaptation, built by interpersonal experiences and capable of change during one's life. Written for anyone interested in the relationship between brain and behavior, it encourages us to consider the brain when attempting to understand others and ourselves. |
 |
Cognitive Neuroscience: The Biology of the Mind (Third Edition) by Michael S. Gazzaniga (Author), Richard B. Ivry (Author), George R. Mangun (Author) Three leading figures in the field of cognitive neuroscience provide an engaging, narrative driven overview of this path-breaking field. Taking a highly interdisciplinary approach, the authors balance cognitive theory, with neuroscientific and neuropsychological evidence to reveal what we currently know about how the human mind works and to encourage students to think like cognitive neuroscientists. The text has been reorganized to move more seamlessly from micro to macro level topics, and its underlying pedagogy strengthened in order to make it an even more effective teaching tool. Maintaining its commitment to highlight the most cutting-edge trends in the field, the third edition includes the first ever standalone chapter of its kind on social neuroscience.... |
 |
The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science (James H. Silberman Books) by Norman Doidge (Author) An astonishing new science called neuroplasticity is overthrowing the centuries-old notion that the human brain is immutable. In this revolutionary look at the brain, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Norman Doidge, M.D., provides an introduction to both the brilliant scientists championing neuroplasticity and the people whose lives they’ve transformed. From stroke patients learning to speak again to the remarkable case of a woman born with half a brain that rewired itself to work as a whole, The Brain That Changes Itself will permanently alter the way we look at our brains, human nature, and human potential. |
 |
The Student's Guide to Cognitive Neuroscience by Jamie Ward (Author) Reflecting recent changes in the way cognition and the brain are studied, this book provides a comprehensive and student friendly guide to cognitive neuroscience. Following an introduction to neural structure and function, all the key methods and procedures of cognitive neuroscience are explained with a view to helping students understand how they can be used to shed light on the neural basis of cognition. The second part of the book goes on to present an up-to-date overview of the latest theories and findings in all the key topics in cognitive neuroscience, including; vision, attention, memory, speech and language, numeracy, executive function and social and emotional behaviour. Throughout, case studies, newspaper reports and everyday examples are used to provide an easy way in to... |
 |
Neuroscience: Fundamentals for Rehabilitation by Laurie Lundy-Ekman PhD PT (Author) This practical guide focuses on the evidence-based neuroscience information that is most relevant to the practice of physical rehabilitation. It connects the theory of neuroscience with real-world clinical application with such features as: stories written by real people with neurological disorders, case studies, and lists summarizing key features of neurological disorders. It also provides clear descriptions of a complete range of neurological disorders and the body systems they affect. The text progresses logically from the molecular and cellular levels, to systems, and then to regions, to help make complex information easy to master. Special features such as Clinical Notes boxes with "at-a-glance" summaries, Red Flag boxes, and hundreds of full-color illustrations, enhance the learning... |
 |
Theoretical Neuroscience: Computational and Mathematical Modeling of Neural Systems by Peter Dayan (Author), L. F. Abbott (Author) Theoretical neuroscience provides a quantitative basis for describing what nervous systems do, determining how they function, and uncovering the general principles by which they operate. This text introduces the basic mathematical and computational methods of theoretical neuroscience and presents applications in a variety of areas including vision, sensory-motor integration, development, learning, and memory. The book is divided into three parts. Part I discusses the relationship between sensory stimuli and neural responses, focusing on the representation of information by the spiking activity of neurons. Part II discusses the modeling of neurons and neural circuits on the basis of cellular and synaptic biophysics. Part III analyzes the role of plasticity in development... |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |