UC-Irvine scientists present groundbreaking research at Society for Neuroscience ...( NEUROSCIENCE 2007 UC Irvine Sc...),Health

NEUROSCIENCE 2007

UC Irvine Scientists Present Ground-Breaking Research at Society for Neuroscience Conference

Presentations in chronological order:

Men and Womens Brains Age in Different Ways

The brain undergoes gender-specific changes when it ages, UC Irvine scientists have discovered. Researchers looked at four regions of the brain the hippocampus, the entorhinal cortex, the superior frontal cortex, and the somatosensory cortex and found that the number of genes altered during aging differs between the sexes. Overall, men showed more gene changes with aging relative to women, and the changes were initiated earlier in life. Relative to men, women had more genes related to inflammation and immune function and had higher expression of inflammatory marker gene levels across these four regions. These findings suggest that therapies to promote healthy brain aging may affect men and women differently, and that women might benefit from earlier intervention with anti-inflammatory treatments.

Poster: Significant gender differences in the progressive increases in CNS innate inflammatory markers with age

UCI Experts: David Cribbs, associate adjunct professor of neurology; Carl Cotman, director of the Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia, UC Irvine

When: 2-3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3

Where: Poster 52, Aging: Molecular Correlates I; San Diego Convention Center Halls B-H

Brain Cells Work Differently Than Previously Thought

Scientists know that information travels between brain cells along hairlike extensions called axons. For the first time, UCI researchers have discovered that axons dont just transmit information they can turn the signal up or down with the right stimulation, like the volume knob on a radio. This finding may help scientists develop treatments for psychiatric disorders such as depression and schizophrenia in which it is thought that different parts of the brai
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