laura

Laura added: The grapes of wrath - John Steinbeck - laura

"This is a problem: what to do after psychoanalysis, and before Dennett’s mystery-banishing total explanation of consciousness has arrived?" - laura from Bookmarklet

hmmm... bit conflicted about this text, so ominous. I don't think 'neuronovels' have to be about mental illnesses only, and I don't think such novels necessarily point to shrinking importance of the novel in general. more like people are slowly accepting that the mind is (more or less) the brain and those who are writers explore that realization in fiction. there's probably more to it but i'm not sure this essay addresses that, whatever it is. - Christopher Harris

Current protocols in molecular biology / edited by Frederick M. Ausubel ... [et al.], Vol. Chapter 19 (October 2009) Electronic data resources can enable molecular biologists to query and display many useful features that make benchwork more efficient and drive new discoveries. The UCSC Genome Browser provides a wealth of data and tools that advance one's understanding of genomic context for many species, enable detailed understanding of data, and provide the ability to interrogate regions of interest. Researchers can also supplement the standard display with their own data to query and share with others. Effective use of these resources has become crucial to biological research today, and this unit describes some practical applications of the UCSC Genome Browser. Mary Mangan, Jennifer Williams, Robert Kuhn, Warren Lathe - laura

Neurogenetics (21 May 2009) GBA and LRRK2 mutations increase susceptibility to Parkinson disease (PD), which is characterized by various disabling symptoms. An extended cohort of 600 Ashkenazi PD patients was screened for the LRRK2 G2019S and for eight GBA mutations. Reported initial symptoms were compared between three genotypic groups of patients: carriers of GBA mutations, carriers of LRRK2 G2019S mutation, and non-carriers. More LRRK2 G2019S carriers reported muscle stiffness (rigidity, p = 0.007) and balance disturbances (p = 0.008), while more GBA mutation carriers reported slowness (bradykinesia, p = 0.021). These results suggest distinct effects of LRRK2 or GBA mutations on the initial symptoms of PD. Z Gan-Or, A Bar-Shira, A Mirelman, T Gurevich, M Kedmi, N Giladi, A Orr-Urtreger - laura

Neuropsychopharmacology, Vol. aop, No. current. (14 October 2009) The Stanley Neuropathology Consortium Integrative Database: a Novel, Web-Based Tool for Exploring Neuropathological Markers in Psychiatric Disorders and the Biological Processes Associated with Abnormalities of Those Markers Neuropsychopharmacology advance online publication, October 14, 2009. doi:10.1038/npp.2009.151 Authors: Sanghyeon Kim & Maree J Webster Keywords: database, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, expression profile, molecular mechanisms Sanghyeon Kim, Maree Webster - laura

European Journal of Human Genetics, Vol. aop, No. current. (14 October 2009) Gain-of-function variant in GLUD2 glutamate dehydrogenase modifies Parkinson's disease onset European Journal of Human Genetics advance online publication, October 14, 2009. doi:10.1038/ejhg.2009.179 Authors: Andreas Plaitakis, Helen Latsoudis, Konstantinos Kanavouras, Beate Ritz, Jeff M Bronstein, Irene Skoula, Vasileios Mastorodemos, Spyridon Papapetropoulos, Nikolas Borompokas, Ioannis Zaganas, Georgia Xiromerisiou, George M Hadjigeorgiou & Cleanthe Spanaki Andreas Plaitakis, Helen Latsoudis, Konstantinos Kanavouras, Beate Ritz, Jeff Bronstein, Irene Skoula, Vasileios Mastorodemos, Spyridon Papapetropoulos, Nikolas Borompokas, Ioannis Zaganas, Georgia Xiromerisiou, George Hadjigeorgiou, Cleanthe Spanaki - laura

European Journal of Human Genetics, Vol. aop, No. current. (14 October 2009) Sporadic cases are the norm for complex disease European Journal of Human Genetics advance online publication, October 14, 2009. doi:10.1038/ejhg.2009.177 Authors: Jian Yang, Peter M Visscher & Naomi R Wray Jian Yang, Peter Visscher, Naomi Wray - laura

no surprise there... - laura

Science, Vol. 326, No. 5950. (9 October 2009), pp. 289-293. We describe Hi-C, a method that probes the three-dimensional architecture of whole genomes by coupling proximity-based ligation with massively parallel sequencing. We constructed spatial proximity maps of the human genome with Hi-C at a resolution of 1 megabase. These maps confirm the presence of chromosome territories and the spatial proximity of small, gene-rich chromosomes. We identified an additional level of genome organization that is characterized by the spatial segregation of open and closed chromatin to form two genome-wide compartments. At the megabase scale, the chromatin conformation is consistent with a fractal globule, a knot-free, polymer conformation that enables maximally dense packing while preserving the ability to easily fold and unfold any genomic locus. The fractal globule is distinct from the more commonly used globular equilibrium model. Our results demonstrate the power of Hi-C to map the dynamic... - laura

Nature Reviews Genetics, Vol. 10, No. 11. (13 October 2009), pp. 769-782. The past few years have seen the identification of dozens of genes with causal roles in motor neuron diseases (MNDs), particularly for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and hereditary spastic paraplegia. Although many additional MND genes remain to be identified, the accumulated genetic evidence has already provided new insights into MND pathogenesis, which adds to the well-established involvement of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) mutations. The pathways that have been recently implicated include those that affect RNA processing, axonal transport and mitochondrial function. The functional classes of MND genes identified so far are likely to aid the selection of high-priority candidate genes for future investigation, including those for so-called sporadic cases. Patrick Dion, Hussein Daoud, Guy Rouleau - laura

Nature Reviews Genetics, Vol. 10, No. 11. (01 November 2009), pp. 783-796. Inbreeding depression — the reduced survival and fertility of offspring of related individuals — occurs in wild animal and plant populations as well as in humans, indicating that genetic variation in fitness traits exists in natural populations. Inbreeding depression is important in the evolution of outcrossing mating systems and, because intercrossing inbred strains improves yield (heterosis), which is important in crop breeding, the genetic basis of these effects has been debated since the early twentieth century. Classical genetic studies and modern molecular evolutionary approaches now suggest that inbreeding depression and heterosis are predominantly caused by the presence of recessive deleterious mutations in populations. Deborah Charlesworth, John Willis - laura

Nature Reviews Genetics, Vol. 10, No. 11. (13 October 2009), pp. 745-755. Empowered by technology and sampling efforts designed to facilitate genome-wide association mapping, human geneticists are now studying the geography of genetic variation in unprecedented detail. With high genomic coverage and geographic resolution, these studies are identifying loci with spatial signatures of selection, such as extreme levels of differentiation and correlations with environmental variables. Collectively, patterns at these loci are beginning to provide new insights into the process of human adaptation. Here, we review the challenges of these studies and emerging results, including how human population structure has influenced the response to novel selective pressures. John Novembre, Anna Di Rienzo - laura

Nature, Vol. advance online publication (07 October 2009) Structural variations of DNA greater than 1 kilobase in size account for most bases that vary among human genomes, but are still relatively under-ascertained. Here we use tiling oligonucleotide microarrays, comprising 42 million probes, to generate a comprehensive map of 11,700 copy number variations (CNVs) greater than 443 base pairs, of which most (8,599) have been validated independently. For 4,978 of these CNVs, we generated reference genotypes from 450 individuals of European, African or East Asian ancestry. The predominant mutational mechanisms differ among CNV size classes. Retrotransposition has duplicated and inserted some coding and non-coding DNA segments randomly around the genome. Furthermore, by correlation with known trait-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we identified 30 loci with CNVs that are candidates for influencing disease susceptibility. Despite this, having assessed the completeness of... - laura

A tiny radio chip implanted in a moth harvests power and senses neural activity. - laura from Bookmarklet

cool stuff - laura from Bookmarklet

An augmented-reality headset developed at Columbia University shows virtual arrows, text labels, and warnings, depending on where the user is looking. - laura from Bookmarklet

Existing literature on reward motivation pays scant attention to the fact that reward potential of the environment varies dramatically with the light/dark cycle. Evolution, by contrast, treats this fact very seriously: In all species, the circadian system is adapted to optimize the daily rhythm of environmental engagement. We used 3 standard protocols to demonstrate that human reward motivation, as measured in the dynamics of positive affect (PA), is modulated endogenously by the circadian clock. Under naturalistic conditions, 13.0% of PA variance was explained by a 24-hr sinusoid. In a constant routine protocol, 25.0% of PA variance was explained by the unmasked circadian rhythm in core body temperature (CBT). A forced desynchrony study showed PA to align with CBT in exhibiting circadian periodicity independent of a 28-hr sleep/wake cycle. It is concluded that the circadian system modulates reward activation, and implications for models of normal and abnormal mood are discussed. - laura from Bookmarklet