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A Bird’s Song May Teach Us About Human Speech Disorders

By Guest PostMarch 7, 2012Nature, Sciencearea x, austin hilliard, autism, basal ganglia, bat species, biostatistics, brain, cortex, disorder, dolphins, elephants, elizabeth fraley, England, flying and perching, foxp2, genes, genetic equivalent, human genetics, human stuttering, julie miller, language, male zebra finches, master gene, neuroscience, sexually mature, small bird, social network, song, songbird, speech, stephanie white, steve horvath, stroke, stuart wolpert, tissue, vocalization, zebra finch

*UCLA scientists identify 2,000 important genes*

Can the song of a small bird provide valuable insights into human stuttering and speech-related disorders and conditions, including autism and stroke? New research by UCLA life scientists and colleagues provides reason for optimism.

The scientists discovered that some 2,000 genes in a region of the male zebra finch’s brain known as “Area X” are significantly linked to singing. More than 1,500 genes in this region, a critical part of the bird’s song circuitry, are being reported for the first time. Previously, a group of scientists including the UCLA team had identified some 400 genes in Area X. All the genes’ levels of expression change when the bird sings. (more…)

Tiny Amounts of Alcohol Dramatically Extend A Worm’s Life, But Why?

By Guest PostJanuary 21, 2012Science1 millimeter, alcohol, alcohol consumption, alcoholic beverages, beer, biochemistry of aging, brian young, c elegans, caenorhabditis elegans, cardiovascular, cardiovascular disease, cholesterol, dna damage, effect, ethanol, health benefit, human aging, larval stage, longevity, minuscule, neurological effects, novartis research foundation, paola castro, protein repair enzyme, san diego, shilpi khare, steven clarke, stuart wolpert, tiny worm, trivial explanation

Minuscule amounts of ethanol, the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, can more than double the life span of a tiny worm known as Caenorhabditis elegans, which is used frequently as a model in aging studies, UCLA biochemists report. The scientists said they find their discovery difficult to explain.

“This finding floored us — it’s shocking,” said Steven Clarke, a UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry and the senior author of the study, published Jan. 18 in the online journal PLoS ONE, a publication of the Public Library of Science. (more…)

‘Tis Better to Give Than to Receive?

By Guest PostNovember 13, 2011Culture, Scienceactivity in the amygdale, amygdale, behavior, boyfriends in pain, brain scans, chocolate, fmri, functional magnetic resonance imaging, good relationships, Health, heterosexual couples, jacob k javits fellowships, likelihood of survival, naomi eisenberger, neural activity, painful electric shocks, septal area, sex and money, social support is good, squeeze ball, stuart wolpert, tristen inagaki, ventral striatum

*UCLA life scientists find that giving support offers health benefits — to the giver*

Providing support to a loved one offers benefits to the giver, not just the recipient, a new brain-imaging study by UCLA life scientists reveals. (more…)

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A Bird’s Song May Teach Us About Human Speech Disorders

Tiny Amounts of Alcohol Dramatically Extend A Worm’s Life, But Why?

‘Tis Better to Give Than to Receive?