GPS 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
Origin Of Rice Points To China

Market Lighting Affects Nutrients

Study urges different grazing practices

WWF welcomes first Bulgaria ban on Danube sturgeon fishing

ABOUT US
China's Huawei sues ZTE for patent infringement

Zeroing in on the Elusive Green LED

Conducting ferroelectrics may be key to new electronic memory

LED efficiency puzzle solved

ABOUT US
Japan quake, Mideast turmoil hit air travel: IATA

Korean Air to spend $1.58 billion on passenger jets

Brazil's key airports set to go private

Extreme testing for rotor blades

ABOUT US
Saab obtains 150 mln euro funding in China: Spyker

Fuel-efficient vehicles drive GM, Ford US sales

Saab reprieved with cash and keys in China

Court rules for Calif. on emission levels

ABOUT US
China drug firm eyes $2.2 bln Hong Kong IPO

EU, Japan race to overcome obstacles to trade deal

China, Gulf states to expand trade tenfold: minister

China makes progress on intellectual property rights: US

ABOUT US
Planting trees could help koalas

Era of canopy crane ending

Chile invests in Uruguay's new pulp mill

'Cedar mafia' threatens Morocco's cherished wood

ABOUT US
Satellites Reveal Tornado Tracks in Georgia, Mississippi and Alabama

NASA Mission Seeks to Uncover a Rainfall Mystery

Satellite tracking of sea turtles reveals potential threat posed by manmade chemicals

GOES-13 Satellite Eyeing System With High Risk of Severe Weather

ABOUT US
2 graphene layers may be better than 1

Diamonds shine in quantum networks

Climate Change From Black Carbon Depends On Altitude

New Fracture Resistance Mechanisms Provided By Graphene


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