plasticity tagged posts

Developing brains constantly sprout new synapses as they learn and remember. Important connections — the ones that are repeatedly introduced, such as how to avoid danger — are nurtured and reinforced, while connections deemed unnecessary are pruned away. Adult brains undergo similar pruning, but it was unclear how or why synapses in the adult brain get eliminated.

Now, a team of researchers based in Korea has found the mechanism underlying plasticity and, potentially, neurological disorders in adult brains. They published their findings on December 23 in Nature.

“Our findi...

Overexpressed Arc in the visual cortex. Credit: Elissa Pastuzyn

Like much of the rest of the body, the brain loses flexibility with age, impacting the ability to learn, remember, and adapt. Now, scientists at University of Utah Health report they can rejuvenate the plasticity of the mouse brain, specifically in the visual cortex, increasing its ability to change in response to experience. “It’s exciting because it suggests that by just manipulating one gene in adult brains, we can boost brain plasticity,” says Jason Shepherd, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Neurobiology and Anatomy at University of Utah Health.

“This has implications for potentially reducing normal cognitive decline with aging, or boosting recovery from brain injury after stroke or traumatic brain injury,” he says...