neurons

Forgetting things is as common an event as remembering them, however very little is known about what happens in our brain when we lose our memory. Now, a study published in the journal Neuron has described the molecular signal processing that takes place in neurons to regulate the acquisition and loss of memories in insects, and that could be extrapolated to functioning in humans.

A study by the Pablo Olavide University of Seville has shown that applying weak currents through the skull modifies the learning of simple motor tasks, accelerating or interrupting this process depending on the polarity of the applied current. The results are published in the journal 'PNAS'.

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.

What happens in our body when we fall asleep? A study with fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) has found a gene, dubbed "insomniac" that regulates much of the process. The work is published in the journal Neuron and its authors state that sleep mechanisms can be very similar in humans and flies.

For decades, researchers have questioned whether Alzheimer's begins in one area of the brain and spreads from there, or whether it begins independently and simultaneously in several vulnerable regions of our gray matter. Scientists at Columbia University in New York (United States) have found the answer: it spreads through the brain from a single center, infecting one neuron after another through the circuits that connect them, called synapses.

Face recognition is a fundamental tool for social interactions between human beings. Without the ability to read other faces and their expressions, it would be difficult to tell friends from strangers at first glance, and we couldn't tell a sad person from a happy one.

What do memory-forming cells in your brain need to communicate properly? Zinc, according to a study by researchers at Duke University Medical Center in Durham and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Researchers have been able to observe zinc in action while regulating communication between neurons in the hippocampus, where learning and memory processes occur and where a disturbance in communication can contribute to epilepsy.

Scientists at Stanford University, in the United States, have managed to convert skin cells into active neurons by adding four proteins to them, through a process that lasts four to five weeks, according to 'Nature'.