learning – Canadian Association for Neuroscience

IRCM researchers discover a protein’s critical role in the brain

Posted on 2013/12/11 | by Julie

A team of Montréal researchers at the IRCM led by Dr. Nabil G. Seidah, in collaboration with Dr. William C. Wetsel’s team at Duke University in the United States, discovered that the protein PC7 plays a critical role in the brain by affecting certain types of cognitive performance such as anxiety, learning and emotional memory. Their results, recently published in the scientific journals Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and Nature, could have a significant impact on regulating behaviour related to anxiety disorders and trauma. Continue reading →

Finding the way to memory

Posted on 2013/02/08 | by Julie

Guidance proteins regulate brain plasticity

Our ability to learn and form new memories is fully dependent on the brain’s ability to be plastic – that is to change and adapt according to new experiences and environments. Continue reading →

Western neuroscience study reveals new link between basic math skills and PSAT math success

Posted on 2013/01/30 | by Julie

New research from Western University provides brain imaging evidence that students well-versed in very basic single digit arithmetic (5+2=7 or 7-3=4) are better equipped to score higher on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT), an examination sat by millions of students in the United States each year in preparation for college admission tests. Continue reading →

Kurt Haas discovers master regulator of brain plasticity

Posted on 2012/10/24 | by Julie

Synaptic plasticity, or the ability of neurons to form, strengthen, or weaken connections with each other, has long been studied as the basis for learning and memory. While the cellular processes and biological mechanisms involved are complex, much progress has been made at the Brain Research Centre and other research institutes around the world towards understanding this dynamic brain process.

Continue reading →

Maternal depression affects language development in babies

Posted on 2012/10/10 | by Julie

Maternal depression and a common class of antidepressants can alter a crucial period of language development in babies, according to a new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia, Harvard University and the Child & Family Research Institute (CFRI) at BC Children’s Hospital.

Published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study finds that treatment of maternal depression with serotonin reuptake inhibitors(SRIs) can accelerate babies’ ability to attune to the sounds and sights of their native language, while untreated maternal depression can prolong the period of tuning. Continue reading →

A Memorable Protein

Posted on 2012/09/26 | by Julie

Paul De Koninck, Mado Lemieux — Lemieux, De Koninck

Researchers demonstrate the key role played by a protein in learning and memory

Learning and remembering are based on molecular mechanisms that are still poorly understood. According to some experts, information is stored in the brain and reactivated as required by strengthening synapses that link neurons together. The strength of these links depends on the abundance of neurotransmitters, receptors, and of all other molecules involved in chemical transmission of information. Continue reading →

Tag: learning