Energy News  
ABOUT US
Study: Memories change brain structure

disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only
by Staff Writers
Rome (UPI) May 2, 2011
European researchers say they've recorded changes in the brain as it learns and sorts what it has learned in a "clearing house" of memories.

By analyzing the brains of mice at various stages of learning, Italian, Swiss and German scientists observed the brain modifying its structure and organization, making new connections while canceling some others out, Italian news agency ANSA reported Monday.

"When we have to memorize something, in a structure called the hippocampus or the cerebellum," Piergiorgio Strata, head of Italy's National Neuroscience Institute, said, "the things to be remembered are selected.

"Some of them are sent to permanent storage areas located in various parts of the brain's cortex, while others are organized differently, with inhibitory synapses coming into play."

Since some memories, such as fears, can leave a very intense permanent trace, the research could pave the way for discovering the molecular foundations of phobias and anxieties, the researchers said.

The research, published in the journal Nature, shows that "short-term memory can become long-term via a process called consolidation, which is completed over several days," Strata said.



Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
All About Human Beings and How We Got To Be Here



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


ABOUT US
Grandma was right Infants do wake up taller
Washington DC (SPX) May 02, 2011
Science is finally confirming what grandma knew all along: infants wake up taller right after they sleep. Findings from the first study of its kind measuring the link between daily growth and sleep show the two are inextricably linked. Specifically, growth spurts are tied to an increase in total daily hours of sleep as well as an increase in the number of daily sleep bouts, the time from t ... read more







ABOUT US
California Signs New Renewable Portfolio Standard into Law

China Energy Consumption Will Stabilize

Europe's top 300 firms get climate-ranked

Rio urges Australia against emissions tax haste

ABOUT US
China to increase maritime surveillance

BP fined $25 million over Alaska oil spill

FuelCell Energy To Develop Clean-Coal Fuel Cell Power Plant

Study helps explain behavior of latest high-temp superconductors

ABOUT US
Global warming won't harm wind energy production, climate models predict

Study: Warming won't lessen wind energy

Mortenson Construction to Build its 100th Wind Project

Germany opens offshore wind farm

ABOUT US
Constellation Energy To Acquire 30 MW Solar Installation in Sacramento

Granite Commissions Solar-Powered Construction Materials Facilities

SunReports Enters Canadian Solar Market with Latitude51 Partnership

Hydrogen Fuel Tech Gets Boost from Low-Cost, Efficient Catalyst

ABOUT US
Slovakia puts off new Jaslovske nuclear unit till 2025

Police arrest five men near British nuclear plant

Putin criticises Japanese nuclear industry

Nuclear plant stress test results by year-end: EU

ABOUT US
Interjet and Airbus Conduct First Biofuel Flight in the Country

BioJet and Abundant Biofuels Agree to Merge

Formidable fungal force counters biofuel plant pathogens

Food vs fuel: the debate is over

ABOUT US
Countdown begins for Chineses space station program

Asia's star ever brighter in space

What Future for Chang'e-2

China setting up new rocket production base

ABOUT US
Climate Change Analysis Predicts Increased Fatalities from Heat Waves

The case for climate change

Water currents of South Africa could stabilize climate in Europe

No binding climate deal at Durban, warn US, EU


The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement