ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Researchers find essential brain circuit in visual development
• New tool enhances the search for genetic mutations
• Researchers discover how inhibitory neurons behave during critical periods of learning
• Scientists analyze the effects of ocean acidification on marine species
• Ocean fish acquire more mercury at depth
• Cocaine use linked to new brain structures: Possible mechanism for drug-seeking behavior in humans identified
• Epilepsy drug dosage linked to specific birth defects
• Combination of two imaging techniques allows new insights into brain function
• Rattling ions limit heat flow in materials used to reduce carbon emissions
• Potential molecular defense against Huntington's disease
• Key protein accelerates diabetes in two ways
• How the brain remembers pleasure: Implications for addiction
• Explanation for strange magnetic behavior at semiconductor interfaces
• Strongest clues to date for causes of schizophrenia
• Novel way gene controls stem cell self-renewal
• Scientists pinpoint 105 additional genetic errors that cause cystic fibrosis

Researchers find essential brain circuit in visual development Posted: 25 Aug 2013 02:18 PM PDT A study in mice reveals an elegant circuit within the developing visual system that helps dictate how the eyes connect to the brain. The research has implications for treating amblyopia, a vision disorder that occurs when the brain ignores one eye in favor of the other.

New tool enhances the search for genetic mutations Posted: 25 Aug 2013 02:18 PM PDT Scientists have developed a new software tool known as DeNovoGear, which uses statistical probabilities to help identify mutations and more accurately pinpoint their source and their possible significance for health.

Researchers discover how inhibitory neurons behave during critical periods of learning Posted: 25 Aug 2013 02:18 PM PDT We've all heard the saying "you can't teach an old dog new tricks." For years, neuroscientists have struggled to understand how the microcircuitry of the brain makes learning easier for the young, and more difficult for the old. New findings show how one component of the brain's circuitry -- inhibitory neurons -- behave during critical periods of learning.

Scientists analyze the effects of ocean acidification on marine species Posted: 25 Aug 2013 02:17 PM PDT Ocean acidification (OA) could change the ecosystems of our seas even by the end of this century. Biologists have assessed the extent of this ominous change. They compiled and analyzed all available data on the reaction of marine animals to OA. While the majority of investigated species are affected, the respective impacts are very specific.

Ocean fish acquire more mercury at depth Posted: 25 Aug 2013 02:17 PM PDT Mercury accumulation in the ocean fish we eat tends to take place at deeper depths, in part because of photochemical reactions that break down organic mercury in well-lit surface waters, according to new research. More of this accessible organic mercury is also being generated in deeper waters.

Cocaine use linked to new brain structures: Possible mechanism for drug-seeking behavior in humans identified Posted: 25 Aug 2013 02:17 PM PDT Mice given cocaine showed rapid growth in new brain structures associated with learning and memory, according to a research team. The findings suggest a way in which drug use may lead to drug-seeking behavior that fosters continued drug use, according to the scientists.

Epilepsy drug dosage linked to specific birth defects Posted: 25 Aug 2013 02:17 PM PDT New medical research has given pregnant women with epilepsy new hope of reducing their chance of having a baby with physical birth defects.

Combination of two imaging techniques allows new insights into brain function Posted: 25 Aug 2013 02:15 PM PDT The ability to measure brain functions non-invasively is important both for clinical diagnoses and research in neurology and psychology. Two main imaging techniques are used: positron emission tomography (PET), which reveals metabolic processes in the brain; and activity of different brain regions is measured on the basis of the cells' oxygen consumption by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A direct comparison of PET and MRI measurements was previously difficult because each had to be performed in a separate machine. Scientists have now successfully combined both methods.

Rattling ions limit heat flow in materials used to reduce carbon emissions Posted: 25 Aug 2013 02:15 PM PDT A new study has found a way to suppress the thermal conductivity in sodium cobaltate so that it can be used to harvest waste energy.

Potential molecular defense against Huntington's disease Posted: 25 Aug 2013 02:15 PM PDT Huntington's disease experts have discovered that glutathione peroxidase activity improves symptoms in models of the neurodegenerative disorder.

Key protein accelerates diabetes in two ways Posted: 25 Aug 2013 02:15 PM PDT The same protein tells beta cells in the pancreas to stop making insulin and then to self-destruct as diabetes worsens, according to a new study.

How the brain remembers pleasure: Implications for addiction Posted: 25 Aug 2013 02:15 PM PDT Key details of the way nerve cells in the brain remember pleasure are revealed in a new study. The molecular events that form such "reward memories" appear to differ from those created by drug addiction, despite the popular theory that addiction hijacks normal reward pathways.

Explanation for strange magnetic behavior at semiconductor interfaces Posted: 25 Aug 2013 02:15 PM PDT Researchers report the first-ever theoretical explanation for some strange semiconductor behavior that was discovered in 2004.

Strongest clues to date for causes of schizophrenia Posted: 25 Aug 2013 02:15 PM PDT A new genome-wide association study estimates the number of different places in the human genome that are involved in schizophrenia. In particular, the study identifies 22 locations, including 13 that are newly discovered, that are believed to play a role in causing schizophrenia.

Novel way gene controls stem cell self-renewal Posted: 25 Aug 2013 02:15 PM PDT Stem cell scientists have discovered the gene GATA3 has a role in how blood stem cells renew themselves, a finding that advances the quest to expand these cells in the lab for clinical use in bone marrow transplantation, a procedure that saves thousands of lives every year.

Scientists pinpoint 105 additional genetic errors that cause cystic fibrosis Posted: 25 Aug 2013 02:15 PM PDT Of the over 1,900 errors already reported in the gene responsible for cystic fibrosis (CF), it is unclear how many of them actually contribute to the inherited disease. Now a team of researchers reports significant headway in figuring out which mutations are benign and which are deleterious, accounting for 95 percent of the variations found in patients with CF.

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