JNeurosci Highlights From the September 14 Issue
Check out these newsworthy studies from the September 14, 2016, issue of JNeurosci. Media interested in obtaining the full text of the studies should contact media@sfn.org.
Super Agers Have Youthful Brains, Better Memory
Cognitive skills and memory typically decline with age, but some people seem to age better than others, earning the moniker “super agers” because they perform equally well as middle-aged adults on cognitive tasks. In a new study, researchers find super agers don’t show the typical brain atrophy associated with aging and have both memory ability and brain anatomy resembling that of young adults aged 18 to 32.
Corresponding author: Bradford Dickerson, bradd@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu
Ritalin Alters Brain Network Connections to Enhance Attention
People who can sustain their attention and focus for long periods of time and those who are more easily distracted rely on different brain networks. . In previous work, researchers demonstrated these “high attention” and “low attention” networks can act as biomarkers for attention abilities. In this new study, researchers find that a single dose of Ritalin strengthens the “high attention” network in healthy adults, suggesting the network plays a causal role in sustained attention.
Corresponding author: Monica D Rosenberg, monica.rosenberg@yale.edu
Virus Receptor Links Inflammation and Cognitive Impairment in Alzheimer’s Disease
Inflammation can amplify the cognitive deficits characteristic of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease. In a new study, researchers identify molecular clues linking inflammation and cognitive deficits. They find the receptor that binds coxsackie virus and adenovirus is present throughout the brains of adult mice. However, after being injected with an inflammation-inducing compound, mice have less of the receptor in an area of the brain involved in learning and memory — the hippocampus. Mice lacking the receptor altogether suffer impaired hippocampal function. Analysis of postmortem brain tissue from Alzheimer’s patients also reveals receptor loss in the hippocampus.
Corresponding author: Sara Salinas, sara.salinas@inserm.fr
The Journal of Neuroscience is published by the Society for Neuroscience, an organization of nearly 38,000 basic scientists and clinicians who study the brain and nervous system.
