This resource provides a set of narrated animations demonstrating the normal and toxic actions within the axon and/or synapse of neurons. A brief overview of the neuron structure and neuron-to-neuron communication is presented first. Next, axon normal functions and synapse normal functions are presented in small segments. Each set of normal functions are followed by the associated toxic actions (pyrethroid toxicity of the axon, organophosphate toxicity and neonicotinoid toxicity of the synapse, and DDT toxicity occurring in both the axon and the synapse). The interface allows the user to compare and contrast the normal functions with those with toxic actions.

This course, as a part of MIT's Center for Neurobiological Engineering curriculum, explores cutting-edge neurotechnology that is essential for advances in all aspects of neuroscience, including improvements in existing methods as well as the development, testing and discussion of completely new paradigms. Readings and in-class sessions cover the fields of electrophysiology, light microscopy, cellular engineering, optogenetics, electron microscopy, MRI / fMRI, and MEG / EEG. The course is designed with lectures that cover the background, context, and theoretical descriptions of neurotechnologies, and labs, which provide firsthand demonstrations as well as in situ lab tours.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Despite advances in therapy, the prognosis and survival of patients with glioblastoma remain dismal. Part of the reason is poor targeting. The sheer complexity of tumor growth at the molecular scale makes it difficult to pinpoint the origin of gliomas. In recent years, more targeted research has led to the discovery of chains of molecular events that regulate glioma development, including the unusual trafficking of proteins into the nucleus of glioma cells. In a new study, researchers examined this glioma-related behavior for the protein doublecortin (DCX). DCX is a neuronal protein crucial for the formation of new neurons in adulthood and for neuronal migration. While researchers have looked at how glioma cells shuttle different proteins to their nucleus, this marked the first time that scientists zeroed in on DCX. The team found that high accumulation of DCX in the nucleus boosted the invasiveness of glioma cells, whereas blocking the nuclear import of DCX reduced glioma proliferation..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

Vision is the primary sense of many animals and much is known about how vision is processed in the mammalian nervous system. One distinct property of the primary visual cortex is a highly organized pattern of sensitivity to location and orientation of objects in the visual field. But how did we learn this? An important tool is the ability to design experiments to map out the structure and response of a system such as vision. In this activity, students learn about the visual system and then conduct a model experiment to map the visual field response of a Panoptes robot. (In Greek mythology, Argus Panoptes was the "all-seeing" watchman giant with 100 eyes.) A simple activity modification enables a true black box experiment, in which students do not directly observe how the visual system is configured, and must match the input to the output in order to reconstruct the unseen system inside the box.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"The ability to label and manipulate proteins in the body is essential to modern biological research. Unfortunately, current methods, such as tagging with antibodies, are often inefficient and expensive. Even worse, researchers are realizing that many of the antibodies available just simply don’t work. Now, a new molecular tool could help researchers break through that barrier. Researchers in the Soderling Laboratory of the Cell Biology Department at Duke University, have developed a high-throughput system capable of modifying entire panels of proteins using a new dual-vector gene-editing approach. Dubbed Homology-independent Universal Genome Engineering, this system allows for the dynamic visualization and functional manipulation of proteins both in vitro and in vivo, including in neurons. This is HiUGE. HiUGE isn’t the first protein-modifying system to rely on gene editing..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"One hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's is protein accumulation in the brain. That accumulation is driven by structural modification of the cellular prion protein. which produces self-generating particles in the brain. Neuronal cell death caused by these protein clusters occurs through autophagy, the body’s way of degrading damaged cells. Unfortunately, the pathways mediating prion-driven autophagy in neurons remain unclear. A recent study evaluated the role of calcium signaling – a common signaling pathway affected by prion proteins. Using neuronal cells from mice, researchers measured calcium signaling and the levels of proteins involved in metabolic stress and autophagy. Their results showed that human prion peptide increased the concentration of calcium in neurons. Inhibiting this prion-mediated calcium uptake in neurons prevented autophagic cell death. and preserved the activity of a protein called AMPK, which is involved in maintaining energy balance in cells..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

Building on their understanding of graphs, students are introduced to random processes on networks. They walk through an illustrative example to see how a random process can be used to represent the spread of an infectious disease, such as the flu, on a social network of students. This demonstrates how scientists and engineers use mathematics to model and simulate random processes on complex networks. Topics covered include random processes and modeling disease spread, specifically the SIR (susceptible, infectious, resistant) model.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"For nearly 25 years, scientists have known of the neuroprotective properties associated with the protein called prosaposin. But exactly how prosaposin exerts these effects has been a matter of debate. Initial research using a neuroactive fragment of the protein, called TX14(A), identified two closely related receptors thought to mediate the actions of prosaposin. But this work was later challenged. Now, an international team of scientists has reported strong evidence that prosaposin does activate these receptors, which may help pave the way for a new class of neuroprotective drugs. Uncertainty over the status of prosaposin as an endogenous ligand for GPR37L1 and GPR37 has stemmed from the use of widely varying experimental conditions. The main inconsistency with past work was the use of cell lines derived from ovary, kidney or yeast to study the receptors. But this creates a physiological mismatch, as the receptors are almost exclusively expressed in the brain..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

Psychology is designed to meet scope and sequence requirements for the single-semester introduction to psychology course. The book offers a comprehensive treatment of core concepts, grounded in both classic studies and current and emerging research. The text also includes coverage of the DSM-5 in examinations of psychological disorders. Psychology incorporates discussions that reflect the diversity within the discipline, as well as the diversity of cultures and communities across the globe.Senior Contributing AuthorsRose M. Spielman, Formerly of Quinnipiac UniversityContributing AuthorsKathryn Dumper, Bainbridge State CollegeWilliam Jenkins, Mercer UniversityArlene Lacombe, Saint Joseph's UniversityMarilyn Lovett, Livingstone CollegeMarion Perlmutter, University of Michigan

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Identify the basic parts of a neuronDescribe how neurons communicate with each otherExplain how drugs act as agonists or antagonists for a given neurotransmitter system

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Quantum materials are opening up a realm of possibilities in materials research. Among the best known examples are superconductivity and quantum computing. But that’s only the beginning. The same properties that make these materials unique are also enabling researchers to demystify the inner workings of the human brain. So what makes quantum materials well suited for this purpose? Unlike the free-flowing electrons in ordinary conductors or semiconductors, electrons in quantum materials show correlated behavior. That in itself has been the focus of intense physics research. But the upshot for brain research is tunable electronic behavior that can mimic the electronic signaling of neurons and the synapses between them. Most importantly, quantum materials can simulate synaptic plasticity. Plasticity is the biological ability that makes learning and memory formation possible. It’s all about timing. Connections between neurons that fire within a short, milliseconds-long time window grow stronger..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

Why do teenagers act the way they do? This video segment from FRONTLINE: Inside the Teenage Brain explores the work scientists are doing to explain some of the mysteries of teenage behavior.