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Under the right conditions, we can respond to cues from the environment that are so subtle that we are not even aware of their existence. What is more, we can even suppress such unconscious responses if they seem no longer appropriate.

Spatial memory is important for animals that store food. These animals living in harsh environments rely strongly on food-stores and should have better memories to support cache retrieval and should benefit from more neurons within larger hippocampi, the part of the brain involved in spatial memory. We found that hippocampal volume and neuron number in birds collected along a gradient from Alaska to Kansas ranked perfectly with climatic severity.

Emotional events are thought to be well remembered in part because stress-induced elevation of adrenaline activates β-adrenergic receptors in the basolateral amygdala, enhancing memory formation. This week, Faber et al. show that β-adrenergic agonists increase EPSP amplitude and enhance long-term potentiation (LTP) at cortico-amygdala synapses in slices.

Experience-dependent plasticity is exemplified by shifts in ocular dominance produced by monocular deprivation during the critical period of development. This plasticity depends on structural changes, including growth and loss of neurites and dendritic spines. One might expect, therefore, that molecules that regulate morphological development are also important in experience-dependent plasticity.

When sensory cortex is deprived of inputs, functional reorganization occurs and different sensory inputs begin to drive the deafferented area. Several studies have shown orderly changes over a few millimeters - for example, in the barrel cortex after single whisker ablation. Jain et al. show that reorganization can be far more extensive than previously appreciated.

Top scientists, representatives of the Veterans Administration and paralyzed veterans will join Yale University and West Haven officials Oct. 30 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Yale Center for Neuroscience and Regeneration Research. Yale President Richard Levin, Robert Alpern, M.D.

People living a life of constant pain will now have access to Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) following new guidance issued by the National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on Wednesday 22nd October 2008.1 The new guidance from NICE recommends that Spinal Cord Stimulation should be made available to all patients who continue to experience chronic neuropathic pain for at least 6 months despite trying conventional approaches to pain management.

Understanding the human brain in health and disease is an important endeavour in biomedical research. Much of the research, however, happens in other animals. The extrapolation of results found in other animals to humans is crucially dependent on a correct understanding of brain evolution.

Hypnosis can induce synaesthetic experiences - where one sense triggers the involuntary use of another - according to a new study by UCL (University College London) researchers. The findings suggests that people with synaesthesia, contrary to popular belief, do not necessarily have extra connections in their brain; rather, their brains may simply do more 'cross talking' and this can be induced by changing inhibitory processes in the average brain.

InfraScan, a medical device firm specializing in brain injury diagnostic products, announced today that it has obtained the CE mark, European marketing clearance, for the Infrascanner handheld brain hematoma detector. The CE Mark certifies that the product (Infrascanner) has met European Union (EU) health, safety and environmental requirements. InfraScan plans to launch international sales this fall.