Mice brains shrink during winter, impairing some learning and memory ( The brains of one species of mouse actu...)

Mice brains shrink during winter, impairing some learning and memory

The brains of one species of mouse actually shrink during the winter, causing the mice to have more difficulty with some types of learning, a new study found.

The results showed that, during the short days of winter, white-footed mice had impaired spatial memory ?the mental map that helps them remember important places in their environment.

This is one of the first studies to show seasonal changes in the structure and the functioning of brains of mammals, said Randy Nelson, co-author of the study and professor of psychology and neuroscience at Ohio State University .

The changes in the brain may help the mice conserve energy to survive during the cold winter season when food is scarce and conditions are harsh.

"The brain uses a lot of energy relative to its weight," Nelson said. "Like many mammals, mice need to reduce their energy costs during winter, and the brain is a good place to do that."

And while there are obviously many differences between mice and humans, studies like this may one day help researchers gain insight into seasonal brain dysfunctions in humans such as seasonal affective disorder, Nelson said.

Nelson conducted the study with Leah Pyter, a graduate student in neuroscience at Ohio State , and Brenda Reader, an undergraduate psychology major at Ohio State . The findings were published in the May 4 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

In one set of experiments, the researchers used 20 adult male white-footed mice. Using artificial light, some mice were kept in short days ?such as they would face in winter ?with eight hours of light per day for 13 weeks before the beginning of the study. Other mice were kept in long days, simulating summer, with 16 hours of daylight for 13 weeks.

Their spatial learning and memory were tested using a water maze test in which the mice had to swim to find an escape platform hidden just below the surface of opaque water. They were tested for several days to
'"/>

Source:Ohio State University

Page: 1 2 3
Related biology news :

1. Birds brains reveal source of songs
2. Supercomputers to focus brains on AIDS dilemma
3. Divergent life history shapes gene expression in brains of salmon
4. Jumping genes contribute to the uniqueness of individual brains
5. Experts discuss use of human stem cells in ape and monkey brains
6. Sharp older brains are not the same as younger brains
7. Animal brains hard-wired to recognize predators foot movements, Queens study suggests
8. Bird brains shrink from exposure to contaminants
9. Carnegie Mellon researchers discover key deficiencies in brains of people with autism
10. Gene therapy injected into the brains of mice with Huntingtons disease
11. Scientists identify 36 genes, 100 neuropeptides in honey bee brains

Post Your Comments:

(Date:6/19/2013)... at the University of Pittsburgh has developed antibacterial ... that could be potential treatments for drug-resistant bacterial ... new agents are quite small, making them inexpensive ... in the June 2013 issue of the journal ... first of many probable applications will likely be ...

(Date:6/19/2013)... 19, 2013 MedNet Solutions , a ... management systems, is pleased to announce its participation in ... 23-27 in Boston . This represents ... leader in cloud-based eClinical solutions, has exhibited at this ... iMedNet™ EDC , MedNet,s latest, easy-to-use ...

(Date:6/19/2013)... Insulin is the most potent physiological anabolic agent ... and synthesis of lipids, protein and carbohydrates, and ... system. It also plays a major role in ... glucose is metabolized and removed from the blood ... precise molecular mechanisms by which insulin regulates glucose ...

Breaking Biology News(10 mins):HIV-derived antibacterial shows promise against drug-resistant bacteria 2 MedNet Solutions To Spotlight iMedNet EDC At The 49th DIA Annual Meeting 2 Breakthrough research of essential molecule reveals important targets in diabetes and obesity 2

[0] HIV-derived antibacterial shows promise against drug-resistant bacteria [0] MedNet Solutions To Spotlight iMedNet EDC At The 49th DIA Annual Meeting [0] Breakthrough research of essential molecule reveals important targets in diabetes and obesity

... is available in Spanish . , While the ... months, their properties have not been scientifically proven yet by ... berries, components are contained in the recommended fruit and vegetable ... placebo effect" on people consuming them. Also, the species Lycium ...

... 23andMe has launched a project funded by the National ... 23andMe,s highly-scalable platform for pharmacogenomics research. The company received ... Reinvestment Act of 2009 for "Web-based Phenotyping for Genome-Wide ... Genome Research Institute. "One of 23andMe,s ...

... area deep in the brain called the perirhinal cortex is ... Davis Center for Mind and Brain have found. The ... hippocampus, in "declarative" or conscious memories, but the new results ... Wei-chun Wang, a graduate student at UC Davis. The ...

Cached Biology News:Goji berries have the same nutrients as fruits and vegetables and a placebo effect 2 23andMe receives NIH funding to evaluate web-based research on the genetics of drug response 2 Where unconscious memories form 2

Goji berries have the same nutrients as fruits and vegetables and a placebo effect 23andMe receives NIH funding to evaluate web-based research on the genetics of drug response Where unconscious memories form

(Date:6/19/2013)... June 20, 2013 New ... technology solutions for pharmaceutical and chemical sectors ... Manufacturing Pte. Ltd. and Siemens Pte. Ltd, have ... A*STAR R&D Consortium Programme - Innovative Processing of ... of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES), the consortium ...

(Date:6/19/2013)... June 19, 2013 Bellevue city ... hall of technology solutions for people with disabilities ... Hyatt Regency Bellevue. , The exhibit hall, ... on Saturday and Sunday, will feature leading manufacturers ... wheelchairs, communication devices, eyegaze technologies, computer applications, and ...

(Date:6/19/2013)... 2013 U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry ... Syngenta scientist Mary-Dell Chilton , Ph.D., was ... Prize. The prize is the foremost international award recognizing ... quality, quantity or availability of food in the world. ... recognized for "revolutionary biotechnology discoveries that unlocked the key ...

(Date:6/19/2013)... 19, 2013 Clinverse, Inc. ... for clinical trials, today announced it will be ... (booth #2000) in Boston, June 24-26, 2013. ... and only fully configurable, cloud-based clinical financial lifecycle ... module within Clinverse’s eClinical Commerce Network, automates site ...

Breaking Biology Technology:Pfizer, GSK, and Siemens Form R&D Consortium With A*STAR's Institute of Chemical & Engineering Sciences 2 Pfizer, GSK, and Siemens Form R&D Consortium With A*STAR's Institute of Chemical & Engineering Sciences 3 Pfizer, GSK, and Siemens Form R&D Consortium With A*STAR's Institute of Chemical & Engineering Sciences 4 City of Bellevue, Wash., Welcomes Assistive Technology Exhibit Hall 2 Syngenta's Mary-Dell Chilton named 2013 World Food Prize laureate 2 Clinverse, Inc. Exhibiting and Showcasing Its Technology at DIA 2013 2

[0] Pfizer, GSK, and Siemens Form R&D Consortium With A*STAR's Institute of Chemical & Engineering Sciences [0] City of Bellevue, Wash., Welcomes Assistive Technology Exhibit Hall [0] Syngenta's Mary-Dell Chilton named 2013 World Food Prize laureate [0] Clinverse, Inc. Exhibiting and Showcasing Its Technology at DIA 2013

... a liquid-crystal display (LCD) often indicate that a device,s ... Zhong Lin Wang at Georgia Tech, the blinking number ... five-year effort to power conventional electronic devices with nanoscale ... an array of tiny nanowires. In this case, ...

... Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research ... The Future of Molecular Diagnostics: ... medicine http://www.reportlinker.com/p0233955/The-Future-of-Molecular-Diagnostics-Innovative-technologies-driving-market-opportunities-in-personalized-medicine.html ... analysis of DNA and RNA at the ...

... 8, 2010 Reportlinker.com announces that a ... its catalogue: Biomarkers in ... activities of leading players ... and biotechnology sectors are currently facing increasing ...

Nanogenerators grow strong enough to power small conventional electronics The Future of Molecular Diagnostics: Innovative Technologies Driving Market Opportunities in Personalized Medicine Biomarkers in Late Stage Clinical Trials: Applications, Opportunities and Activities of Leading Players

... The ISOQUANT(R) Isoaspartate Detection Kit is ... residues in proteins and peptides, which can ... asparagine or rearrangement of aspartic acid residues ... does not depend on the monitoring of ...

Request Info...

Rb anti-Occludin (C-term GST)...

Request Info...

Biology Products:

ISOQUANT Isoaspartate Detection Kit from Promega Non-Rad Detection Kit from BD Biosciences Pharmingen Rabbit Anti-Occludin, C-Terminus Monoclonal Antibody, GST Conjugated, Clone PADZMD.544 from Invitrogen GIBCO Dulbeccos Phosphate-Buffered Saline (D-PBS) (1X); liquid Contains calcium and magnesium from Invitrogen