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I often wonder about the gut-brain axis (admittedly for self-serving reasons – I want to understand my obsession with the combination of chocolate and peanut butter), but it’s an undeniably difficult connection to study on a molecular level. The brain is constantly influenced by ...
Calcium is arguably one of the most important metal ions in biology (sodium and potassium are up there too!). Calcium is fundamental to muscle and nerve function, hormone secretion, blood clotting, and as we all know, a structural component of bones and teeth. It is an enzyme ...
We often think about the brain’s function in terms of its regions. But equally important is the way the brain connects across these regions, a process driven by neurons. By studying how neurons are physically connected, we can begin to understand how the brain works. It’s kind ...
This post was originally written by Tyler Ford in 2018. It was updated by guest blogger Abhi Aggarwal in 2022. Recent updates to iGluSnFR and SF-iGluSnFR have made it clear that it’s time to update our iGluSnFR post! Here, we look at the origins of the system and explore ...
This article was written by Alyssa Cecchetelli and Andrew Hempstead. What do smell, taste and sight have in common, besides being one of the five senses? GPCRs or G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs)! Aside from these three senses, GPCRs play roles in initiating signaling ...
Optogenetics is a neuroscience method that lets you fire neurons with the flick of a light switch. Neurons are not typically persuaded to fire when light is shined on them, but the expression of light-gated ion channels such as channelrhodopsins (ChRs) makes them ...
Over the past decades, neuroscientists have made great strides to map brain regions and allocate specific functions to them. Electrical recordings and lesioning studies have been essential for this task. However, most lesioning methods destroy areas larger than intended and may ...
