Marijuana affects working memory, reducing the ability to retain and temporarily process information to reason, understand and learn. According to a study now published in the journal 'Cell', the key is that the main psychoactive ingredient of this drug (tetrahydrocannabinol or THC) does not affect neurons but rather astrocytes, the glia cells that support and support them. they serve as "scaffolds".
Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have shown that people with depression have a greater number of connections in different areas of the brain. In fact, the main difference from a depressed brain is that it is hyper-connected.
Each generation has its own James Dean, that is, the rebellious character who refuses to follow the path set by his peers. Now, a new study published in the journal Current Biology has found a relationship between the amount of gray matter in a specific region of the brain and the level of rebellion or conformity of an individual.
Contrary to what was thought, neurons are not the only ones responsible for our memory. A study by the Cajal Institute, belonging to the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) has found that astrocytes, star-shaped cells of the nervous system, also have a lot to do with all processes related to memory and learning. The finding could be used to treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.
The speed at which we walk while we are adults may be an indicator of the risk of suffering from dementia or stroke as we reach old age, according to research from the Boston Medical Center that is presented at the meeting of the American Academy of Neurology next month. of April. In this way, neurologists and family doctors "have a comfortable and simple test to predict the risk of impaired cognitive function," the researchers say.
Scientists at the University of Chicago have shown that solving puzzles between the ages of 2 and 4 helps develop spatial skills that are useful in adult life. Specifically, as children who have played with puzzles grow, they have a greater ability to mentally transform shapes, which usually indicates a greater tendency to study (and get good grades) in science, technology, engineering and mathematics studies in adult life.
A few years ago, researcher Lucy Brown, professor of neuroscience at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, used magnetic resonance imaging to study the brains of 17 young people who said they were "newly and madly in love." He observed that seeing the photo of the loved one activated the caudate nucleus and the ventral tegmentum, two brain areas linked to pleasure. And he found that the ventral tegmentum flooded the caudate nucleus with the hormone dopamine in the brain in love.
Neuroscientists at the University of California, Los Angeles (USA) have shown that they can improve memory in human patients by stimulating a strategic area of the brain. It is the entorhinal cortex, considered the "door" to the hippocampus, which is the area specialized in forming and storing memories.
Danni Büchner is invited to Sam Dylan's Halloween party. But the "Goodbye Germany" emigrant has no desire for many other party guests. And find clear words.
