NEWRON vol I issues XI-XIV

Edited by: Natan Davidovics

Issue XI

Scots scientists unveil 'spray-on' computer

http://news.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=539582007

Scientists have developed a computer the size of a matchstick head. Spraying them directly onto a person creates the ability to carry out different tests at the same time, for example muscle movement and pulse rate.



Freeing a Locked-In Mind

http://www.sciammind.com/article.cfm?articleID=C70861E4-E7F2-99DF-3F9AD7602EE86A49

Vegetative patients may soon be able to communicate with the outside world



Where New Neurons Go to Work

http://blog.sciam.com/index.php?title=where_new_neurons_go_to_work_1&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1&showComments=1

After a sometimes ferocious debate lasting decades, most neuroscientists now agree that the adult brain makes new neurons. Yet they're far from agreeing on what, if anything, these freshly minted new brain cells actually do. Do they replace worn-out veterans? Provide new memories? Strengthen existing knowledge? Just take up space? These questions hang over every discussion of neurogenesis -- and drive quite a few research agendas.

Issue XII

High Times for Brain Growth: Marijuana-like drug multiplies neurons

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20051015/fob7.asp

In the stoner stereotype, pot smokers and dying brain cells go hand in hand. However, new research suggests the situation may be more uplifting than that. A drug that functions as concentrated marijuana does may spur neurogenesis, the process by which the brain gives birth to new nerve cells.

Next-generation toys read brain waves

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/fun.games/04/30/mind.reading.toys.ap/index.html

• Gaming industry working with brain wave-reading technology
• Technology makes video games more mentally stimulating
• Toys could boost mental focus and help kids with ADD
• Also enable paralyzed people to "move" in virtual realty

Study sheds light on memory by erasing it

http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20070509-12335900-bc-us-memory.xml

A U.S. study has shown memory can be created and then biochemically erased in slices of rat hippocampus by manipulating a so-called "memory molecule."

Issue XIII

Scientists Draw Link Between Morality And Brain's Wiring

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB117884235401499300-EW_3t5ypADMYm8VE4JXI6xaj5hE_20070609.html

A provocative medical experiment conducted recently by neuroscientists at Harvard, Caltech and the University of Southern California strongly suggests moral convictions come not from conscious principles but from the brain trying to make its emotional judgment felt.



Total Recall: Alzheimer's-like Mice Regain Memory

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=45E26D3D-E7F2-99DF-37C48D32D08DAE34&ref=sciammind

M.I.T. researchers find that certain environments prompt lost memory to return and determine the biological mechanism behind the phenomenon



What is a neural network and how does its operation differ from that of a digital computer? (In other words, is the brain like a computer?)

http://www.sciam.com/askexpert_question.cfm?chanID=sa017&articleID=8B4338BA-E7F2-99DF-32025F46795812AD

This is a brief article that does a good job of summing up the basics of neural networks, which is a term that we all hear rather often but may not fully understand what it means.

Issue XIV

The Magnetic Brain Stimulator Will See You Now

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/05/magnet_therapy

The next time you visit a psychiatrist, don't be put off by the helmet-shaped device crawling with electrodes in the corner of the office. It's there to help.

Hacking My Kid's Brain: How a Child's Neurons Were Rewired

http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/news/2007/05/brain_hack

Three months ago I took my 7-year-old son through a neurological treatment designed to hack his brain. It's been 90 days since his treatment ended, and I am happy to report the hack has made a huge difference.

The benefits of forgetfulness: smaller search spaces mean easier recall

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070604-the-benefits-of-forgetfulness-smaller-search-spaces-mean-faster-recall.html

The journal Nature Neuroscience is running an article that looks at how some memories get made permanent. The results of the study suggest that an active process of forgetting the alternatives can be crucial for solidifying a memory.

Brain Reaches Adult Levels by Age 12

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/05/18/childbrain_hea.html?category=health&guid=20070518101500

Can you get smarter than a fifth-grader? Of course, but new research suggests some of the brain's basic building blocks for learning are nearing adult levels by age 11 or 12.