Memories are made of this molecule – being-human – 15 January 2007 – New Scientist

Memories are made of this molecule – being-human – 15 January 2007 – New Scientist

How are memories formed? The question has perplexed scientists for years, but now it seems we’re a step closer to solving it.
The leading candidate is a process called long-term potentiation (LTP), in which the connections between individual brain cells get stronger the more often they are used, such as during learning. But while LTP has often been observed in slices of brain in the lab, it has been difficult to record in a living brain as learning was taking place.
Now Liliana Minichiello and her colleagues at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Monterotondo, Italy, and the Pablo de Olavide University in Seville, Spain, appear to have done just that by isolating a molecule that initiates a signalling pathway for LTP in the brain of a living mouse. The finding builds on a technique they developed last year to record LTP in a mouse hippocampus – a brain region involved in learning – while the animal was being trained to blink in response to a tone.
In the new study, the team used mice with a defective version of a receptor molecule called TrkB, found on the surface of brain cells in the hippocampus. The mice were unable to learn or initiate LTP in response to familiar stimuli, indicating TrkB is a key memory molecule. The finding will be published in Learning and Memory this week.
Minichiello hopes that as they identify more molecules involved in initiating LTP, this could pave the way for drugs to combat Alzheimer’s disease, or to enhance memory capability generally.
From issue 2586 of New Scientist magazine, 15 January 2007, page 16

The Return of an American Hero!

Kiefer Sutherland makes his triumphant return as Jack Bauer this evening with the sixth-season premiere of 24. Jack will use CTU, bark orders and fight and kill the bad guys. Two hours tonight. Two hours tomorrow night (same time, same channels). What more do you need?

"First Lady caught on camera around Humble streets reckless-riding on a pretty-in-pink bicycle!" Story at 11!

Humble Police are chasing a notable woman after she allegedly ‘rode with ill-intent’ and struck a dog who had barked at her Golden Retriever, Baby – aka ‘B-girl’ – aka ‘Babycakes’ – aka ‘Lil Mammies’ on a previous walking excursion around her home in the downtown Humble area. ‘Baby’, (photo below believed taken immediately after the encounter) – suffered traumatic stress from the barking. It is not known as to her recovery at this time.

McMannes steered the bicycle in question recklessly toward a foul-mouthed pit-bull, aka ‘BAD ASS KILLER’ in a church parking lot near her well-kept and nicely-decorated home on Main St. The attacking vehicle was her new pretty pink bicycle, one given to her by her charming and stunningly handsome son, Mike.

(Pic seen below)

Georgia Adams McMannes, Main St. Humble, was taken to jail by her husband, Mayor Donald G. McMannes (Pic seen below) about 9:30pm on Sunday, January 14th (After Church, lunch, a quick nap, and the 2-hour premiere of Jack Bauer and 24) and she was booked on misdemeanor counts of obstructing a public servant (Her husband – the Mayor) and reckless riding. McMannes, 69, also was cited for failure to stop after striking a domestic animal with a pink vehicle – a serious crime in some parts of India as that animal could be a reincarnate.

(Mayor Donald G. McMannes)

Officers were called to the scene at 3205 Ave. C about 9:25 am. by a man who said a pink bicycle had been spinning circles in the church parking lot and had struck and verbally taunted his 3 year old Pit Bull – aka ‘BAD ASS KILLER’ repeatedly.

Georgia McMannes admitted to the officers that she had been speeding and sliding around and doing wheelies, but she denied knowing that the dog was struck, police said.

McMannes (Seen here apparently without remorse!) was released after yelling at her husband and telling him she was going to completely redo their Humble home. Mayor McMannes took the accused home and all charges were immediately dropped!

70 years old and still acting like a child? Then perhaps you should just say forget it, “I’m going to do a little time-traveling!” Well, my mother is 70 (Jan21) and she’s an absolute doll. Not only does she not have any wrinkles on her face (I think she scrubs her face with freaking concrete and has for years – but she looks 39 so she must be doing something right!) but she still can be goofy and silly. So, with that said, guess what I bought my sweet little mother? A pretty pink bicycle! She rides it all the time around our town. My dad’s the Mayor and so she’s actually the ‘First Lady.’ (That’s funny…am I the first son, maybe?) If ya listen real close…you can hear the whispers…

“There goes the First Lady again on her cute little pink bicycle!”

My mom – I love her!

Happy Birthday, Momma!

M & B