reflex

Taking a flying jump

...t "answers" questions within what is essentially a reflex arc. ...

Algal protein in worm neurons allows remote control of behavior by light

...ry neurons, which respond to touch by activating a reflex that causes worms to back up, was sufficient to prompt the backing behavior in response to blue-light exposure. In fact, the ChR2 expression in mechanosensory neurons allowed the backing behavior to occur (in response to light) even in mutant worms t...

Picking apart how neurons learn

... the vestibulo-ocular reflex. The vestibulo-ocular reflex coordinates eye movements with head movements, allowing us to perform activities such as reading in a moving automobile. "We've long known that LTD underlies responses like the vestibulo-ocular reflex. This study gets at the heart of how LTD occurs,...

'Executive' monkeys influenced by other executives, not subordinates

...findings reveal that gaze-following is more than a reflex action; that it also involves lightning-fast social perception. Such a discovery in monkeys gives the researchers an invaluable animal model that enables them to tease apart the reflexive-versus-social mechanisms that govern behavior, they said. In...

Obese people are more sensitive to pain, suggests study

...sponse to sural nerve stimulation by measuring the reflex of the lower leg muscles that surround the sural nerve. When the brain senses pain, it sends a message to the body to contract and move the muscles in order to get away from the source of the pain. "This kind of evaluation is in some ways a more obj...

Detecting explosives with honeybees

... natural reaction to nectar, a proboscis extension reflex (sticking out their tongue), could be used to record an unmistakable response to a scent. Using Pavlovian training techniques common to bee research, they trained bees to give a positive detection response, via the proboscis extension reflex, when th...

Proteins necessary for brain development found to be critical for long-term memory

... of the connections between the brain cells in the reflex circuit normally induced by the shock treatment was also blocked. "We would never have expected that the secretion of these growth factors in response to serotonin would be critical for long-term memory formation in this system," Carew said. "But i...

On automatic pilot

...specific modules of the cerebellum mainly regulate reflex functions during walking and match these to the situation. Consequences for the elderly Pijpers' research opens up new possibilities for further research into the role of the cerebellum in the control of movements. Results from follow-up st...

Is there a pilot in the insect?

... these authors call an "optic flow regulator" is a reflex that keeps the optic flow, and thus the speed/alti... constant value. If the insect changes speed, this reflex will make it change altitude so that ratio remains constant. Adjusting the speed/altitude ratio mean...