Synapse

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is identified as the leading monogenic cause of autism and congenital mental retardation. It is estimated that the frequency of FXS is 1/7000 males and 1/11,000 women (Hunter et al., 2014). In Australia, since one child is born with Fragile X every week, around 1 in 3600 boys and in 4000 – 6000 girls suffers this syndrome with the higher severity in boys. Position of the causative gene for FXS named fragile X mental retardation gene 1 (FMR1) was found at the diagnostic…

SSRI stands for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. It is a drug prescribed to treat depression, anxiety disorders, panic attacks and personality disorders by manipulating particular neurotransmitting systems regulating such as serotonin, a brain chemical which regulates mood as well as appetite and mood. Serotonin is naturally produced in the body and kept at a certain level, but SSRIs can increase at level by blocking (inhibiting) the reabsorption (reuptake) of serotonin. Once considered a…

Video Games: A Misunderstood Medium For many years children and adults have enjoyed a special form of entertainment that provides experiences like no other, the video game. These electronic toys have been on the market since the 1970’s, a recent development, and history has shown that new trends are often targeted as a scapegoat for problems of the time. Currently, the ever growing industry of video games has been the source of such controversy, and is frequently blamed for many of the…

Science indicates that early exposure to cir-cumstances that produce persistent fear and chronic anxiety in young children can have lifelong consequences by disturbing the developing synapses of the brain (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, (NSCDC), 2010). Anxiety is a normal aspect of child development, most children experience some form of anxiety. These fears and anxieties are usually overcome relatively easily…

1. What activities and experiences you and your child have engaged in might be promoting healthy behavioral practices and an interest in physical activity Sebastian and I have engaged in some activities that might be promoting a healthy behavioral practice and an interest in physical behavior. For example, during the weekends, Sebastian likes to go outside to the back yard to play mini soccer or play with his mini- basketballs. However, he seems to get tired very easily and after a short while…

Dance to Live or Live to Dance Ballroom dancers take the floor and always seem to have everything together, but what is going on under the surface? Sure, it is pretty or intense to watch, but what does it entail? Ballroom dancing, whether being of Latin, Standard, Smooth , or Rhythm style, requires an enormous amount of skill such as concentration, memory, precision, and yet, relaxation. Since dancing is so complex, there are several benefits resulting from all of this training, including a…

Results from several researches over the past few decades, however, indicate that the central nervous system extracellular matrix is an information wealthy environment that includes signals that influence cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, synapse formation and remodeling, and responses to different injuries. Decades before the fundamental molecular genetics or biochemical properties were known, Familial (resulting from gene relations) aggregation had been acknowledged as an…

Extinction is the model used for the inhibition of fear within a laboratory environment. It involves training organisms to fear a conditioned stimulus in a manner described above (Myers, Ressler, & Davis, 2006). While it was previously debated upon it is widely accepted that extinction is a new form of learning and thus the creation of new memories (Burgos-Robles, Vidal-Gonzalez, Santini, & Quirk, 2007). While the two memories of fear and extinction would compete with each other (Royer, & Paré,…

“It is the weight, not numbers of experiments that is to be regarded”1. As Sir Isaac Newton, one of the most influential scientists in history, states – the design of an experiment is very important. Therefore, aspiring scientists must learn about many different types of techniques and its applications. Over the past six weeks, students were exposed to six experts discussing different fields of research but their studies contained many overlapping qualities. Some common topics discussed were…

The sense of taste is not something that is unique to human. While some insect can taste things with their feet and fishes can taste with their whole body; human and other mammals are limited to their mouth. Human have 5 different types of receptor cells that responds to five primary taste: salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami. Human are able to interacts with the world through the peripheral nervous systems which uses nerves to connect the body’s sensory organ to the central nervous system.…