Neuroscientists engineer mice that make better decisions

Jokerman

Well-Known Member
#1
Adding newborn brain cells to an aging brain can improve memory and decision-making, according to a new study. Adult mice with newborn neurons in the hippocampus, which governs memory and learning, were better able to distinguish between similar events and make better-informed choices. Combined with exercise over a period of time, adding new neurons even had anti-depressant effects, the study says.

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-04/re-wiring-mice-new-neurons-gives-them-sharper-minds

Hey, maybe this would work for teenagers.
 

Shadows

Well-Known Member
#2
I thought of this a long time ago but didn't think any cell would work for just anyone, in this case, being Mice of course.

So, this would help for alcoholics and drugies that lost their mind, assuming it worked on humans?
 

Preach

Well-Known Member
#8
This reminds me of that article about poo transplants. To be honest, that was gonna be my whole reply to this thread. The posts above inspired me to be a nerd. :D I chose to edit and expand:

My immediate thought was, if we assume our brain is more sophisticated and complex than that of a mouse (which is fair, right?) - or to be more static in my wording, if we assume our mind controls a higher amount of physiological functions, I can't help but shake the idea that such a modification would have an array of unpredictable "side-effects". Both physiologically and culturally.

What I gathered from the article was that the mice made better discriminations of experiences, but the one paragraph mentioning two similar chambers also suggests they became more discriminative of environmental details. The ability to discriminate is what fuels our ability to practice racism and similar types of social outcasting. Ironically, that's quite contrary to the stereotype that is the average vegan looking to take the human race to new heights of social and intellectual awareness. :p

Quite interesting, not as scary as it seems on the surface.
 

Latest posts

Donate

Any donations will be used to help pay for the site costs, and anything donated above will be donated to C-Dub's son on behalf of this community.

Members online

No members online now.
Top