Mnemonic microRNAs help make memories

Mnemonic microRNAs help make memories

L earning and memory depend on the brain’s plasticity, its ability to rewire itself. Lippi et al. reveal that two microRNAs (miRNAs) help the brain maintain this fl exibility by dismantling unneeded synapses between neurons (1). When a rat memorizes the route through a maze or a singer learns the lyrics to a song, the neural changes in their brains typically include growth or modifi cation of d...

How Brain Cells Make Memories

Remembering a lot of things at the same time is difficult. As an experiment, read these numbers: 07041776. Then, close your eyes and try to say them aloud, in order. How did you do? We would guess that you remembered around half of the numbers. Now, try again but think of the same numbers as a date: 07-04-1776. Did you remember more of the numbers this time? You just demonstrated something call...

MicroRNAs make big splash in apoptosis

undreds of microRNAs are encoded in animal genomes, yet the function of only two were known until recently. That number has now doubled with the identification of two miRNAs, mir14 and bantam , both of which appear to regulate cell death in Drosophila , according to reports from Peizhang Xu, Bruce Hay (California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA), and colleagues and from Julius Brennecke, ...

Can Analogy Help Children Make Transitive Inference?

This paper is exploring whether analogy-making as an early developing ability could potentially help children to develop deductive reasoning ability and in particular, transitive inference. Two experiments are presented. In the first one transitive mapping is explored further to make sure children at the age of 4 can do the transitive mapping task even when all three objects are hidden and no p...

Resilient Families Help Make Resilient Children