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How sleep helps brain learn motor task

By Guest PostAugust 26, 2013Healthbrain, brain region, brainwave frequency, delta brainwave oscillation, magnetoencephalography, masako tamaki, massachusetts general hospital, meg, meg oscillations, motor task, playing piano, polysomnography, sigma, sleep, sma, supplementary motor area, tsung ren huang, yuka sasaki

Sleep helps the brain consolidate what we’ve learned, but scientists have struggled to determine what goes on in the brain to make that happen for different kinds of learned tasks. In a new study, researchers pinpoint the brainwave frequencies and brain region associated with sleep-enhanced learning of a sequential finger tapping task akin to typing, or playing piano.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — You take your piano lesson, you go to sleep and when you wake up your fingers are better able to play that beautiful sequence of notes. How does sleep make that difference? A new study helps to explain what happens in your brain during those fateful, restful hours when motor learning takes hold. (more…)

Scientists Find Possible Cause of Movement Defects in Spinal Muscular Atrophy

By Guest PostApril 15, 2012Healthamino acid, childhood disorder, christine beattie, emily caldwell, function, gene, genetic link, genetic manipulation, le hao, levels of protein, marc wolman, michael granato, motor neuron, muscle weakness, nerve cell, plastin 3, protein, sma, smn, spinal cord, spinal muscular atrophy, zebrafish

COLUMBUS, Ohio – An abnormally low level of a protein in certain nerve cells is linked to movement problems that characterize the deadly childhood disorder spinal muscular atrophy, new research in animals suggests.

Spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA, is caused when a child’s motor neurons – nerve cells that send signals from the spinal cord to muscles – produce insufficient amounts of what is called survival motor neuron protein, or SMN. This causes motor neurons to die, leading to muscle weakness and the inability to move. (more…)

MU Researchers Find Synthetic RNA Lessens Severity of Fatal Disease

By Guest PostNovember 27, 2011Healthdisease severity, rare genetic disease, sma, spinal muscular atrophy, synthetic rna

*Spinal Muscular Atrophy affects one in 6,000 children; no known cure*

COLUMBIA, Mo. – A team of University of Missouri researchers have found that targeting a synthetic molecule to a specific gene could help the severity of the disease Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) – the leading genetic cause of infantile death in the world. (more…)

MU Researchers Find New Insight into Fatal Spinal Disease

By Guest PostOctober 2, 2011Health, Scienceamyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cells, degeneration of skeletal muscles, duchenne muscular dystrophy, dysfunctions of the synapses, global neurofilament alterations, human disease, jeffrey m dale, michael garcia, motor neurons, protein deficiency, sma, spinal muscular atrophy, system, treatments for muscular dystrophy, university of missouri, virginia garcia

*Discovery could lead to treatments for muscular dystrophy and ALS*

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Researchers at the University of Missouri have identified a communication breakdown between nerves and muscles in mice that may provide new insight into the debilitating and fatal human disease known as spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

“Critical communication occurs at the point where nerves and muscles ‘talk’ to each other. When this communication between nerves and muscles is disrupted, muscles do not work properly,” said Michael Garcia, associate professor of biological sciences in the College of Arts and Science and the Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center. “In this study, we found that delivery of ‘the words’ a nerve uses to communicate with muscles was disrupted before they arrived at the nerve ending.” (more…)

Tag Archives: sma

How sleep helps brain learn motor task

Scientists Find Possible Cause of Movement Defects in Spinal Muscular Atrophy

MU Researchers Find Synthetic RNA Lessens Severity of Fatal Disease

MU Researchers Find New Insight into Fatal Spinal Disease