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Published in Michael Hehenberger, Zhi Xia, Huanming Yang, Our Animal Connection, 2020
Michael Hehenberger, Zhi Xia, Huanming Yang
Because their high metabolism makes them vulnerable to starvation, hummingbirds are highly focused on their food sources. Some species are territorial and will try to guard food sources (such as a feeder) against other hummingbirds, attempting to ensure a future food supply for itself. Compared to other birds, their hippocampus area is two to five times larger.266 As we have seen before, the hippocampus is a brain region that (across all species) is associated with long-term and spatial memory. Hummingbirds use it to map flowers previously visited during nectar foraging. Although the brains of hummingbirds are as small as only a grain of rice, their memory ability is outstanding: hummingbirds can remember not only the kind of food they’ve just eaten, but also when they did eat it. These amazing facts seem to make hummingbirds the only wild animal that can remember where and when to have eaten. Previously, scientists believed that only humans could have similar judgment.
Nanonutraceuticals in Central Nervous System Disorders
Published in Bhupinder Singh, Minna Hakkarainen, Kamalinder K. Singh, NanoNutraceuticals, 2019
Amita Sarwal, Nisha Rawat, Gurpreet Singh, V. R. Sinha, Sumit Sharma, Dinesh Kumar
These are useful in brain-associated depreciation in neuronal signal transduction, in addition to the cognitive and motor deficits (Joseph et al., 2005). Aging leads to declining motor and cognitive functions, which are escalated in age-associated neurodegenerative diseases, consisting of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), AD, and PD (Esposito et al., 2002). The neurogenesis function of the hippocampus region to produce neurons dwindles throughout aging, with the consequent decline in cognitive functions (Drapeau et al., 2003). Polyphenolic supplements enhance neuronal signaling by strengthening the performance of motor nerves, for example, tea-derived epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG) and quercetin extracts from apples and other fruits (Henning et al., 2012).
Creativity and Creative Thinking
Published in Graeme Dandy, Trevor Daniell, Bernadette Foley, Robert Warner, Planning & Design of Engineering Systems, 2018
Graeme Dandy, Trevor Daniell, Bernadette Foley, Robert Warner
As recently as two hundred years ago little was known about the brain, and serious research into the functioning of the brain really only began in the first half of the 20th Century. The fact that many parts of the brain are named after their shape rather than function gives an indication of just how little was known. For example, in the brain there are areas called the “pons”, “amygdale” and “hippocampus” named after bridges, the shape of almonds, and seahorses, respectively (Rose, 1998). It is only quite recently that it has been possible to determine the actual functions of some brain regions using techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which is able to measure oxygen uptake rates as a measure of neural activity, and positron emission topography (PET) which can measure, in addition to oxygen uptake rates, the release of neurotransmitters such as dopamine (Knutson and Peterson, 2005). Based on these studies it is now known, for example, that the hippocampus is important for short-term memory and the ability to make mental maps, while the amygdala handles fear and other emotions.
Consequences of space radiation on the brain and cardiovascular system
Published in Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part C, 2021
Catherine M. Davis, Antiño R. Allen, Dawn E. Bowles
The hippocampal formation undergoes structural changes throughout the human lifespan. It is capable of dramatic reorganization, enabling environmental stimuli to impose functional and structural changes on the brain.7 The plasticity of neuronal connections functions through the generation of new neurons and synapses, which enables the brain to store memories.8 Neurogenesis is defined as the series of developmental steps that lead from the division of a neural stem or progenitor cell to a mature, functionally integrated neuron.9 The generation of new neurons from neural stem cells occurs in only two areas of the adult brain: the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral ventricles and the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the DG in the hippocampus.7 In mammals, precursor cell proliferation occurs in the SGZ throughout life,10,11 resulting in newly born cells that are capable of migrating into the dentate granule cell layer.11 Newborn granule cells pass through several developmental steps, from a dividing progenitor to a mature granule cell that is indistinguishable from granule cells born during embryonic development.12 They develop granule cell morphology, then become functionally integrated into the local circuitry13 and have action potentials and functional synaptic inputs14 about 4 weeks after division.
The Neurostructure of Morality and the Hubris of Memory Manipulation
Published in The New Bioethics, 2018
The most striking feature of the human brain is the cerebral cortex (Blank 2013, pp. 3–8). Only two millimeters thick, its surface area is approximately 1.5 m and contains some ten to fifteen billion neurons, four times as many glial cells, and an estimated one million billion synaptic connections. Roughly divided into the occipital, temporal, parietal, and frontal lobes on each side, the cerebral cortex contains numerous areas involved in sensory reception, motor control, language, and associated activities having multiple functions. The frontal lobes serve as the center of higher-order processing, which permits the capacity to engage in abstract thinking, planning, and problem solving. The hippocampus, located at the base of the temporal lobe, is vital to both learning and the consolidation of short-term memory. Closely situated at the base of the frontal lobes are the basal ganglia nuclei, which serve a variety of functions including voluntary motor control, procedural learning of routine behaviors, and action selection: the determination of which (of several possible) behaviors to execute at a given time. The frontal lobes constitute nearly forty percent of the total cortical area and, as the last areas to mature, are connected to almost every other part of the brain, including the behaviorally critical limbic system (Blank 2013, pp. 3–6).
A representation of partial spatial knowledge: a cognitive map approach for evacuation simulations
Published in Transportmetrica A: Transport Science, 2018
Erik Andresen, Mohcine Chraibi, Armin Seyfried
O'Keefe (1976) provided evidence about the fact that the rat's hippocampal formation is mainly involved in the establishment of a reference map system (the cognitive map). The hippocampus stores and retrieves spatial memories by using place cells (O'Keefe 1976). Specific place cells are triggered when the rat reaches a specific point (O'Keefe 1976). It has been shown that further cells are collaborating with place cells in building the capability to store, retrieve, and use spatial memories. As related to these, head direction cells (Ranck 1985), grid cells (Moser, Kropff, and Moser 2008), and border cells (Solstad et al. 2008) have to be mentioned. A collaboration of similar cells serving orientation and wayfinding were discovered in the human and various other mammals' brains (Ekstrom et al. 2003; Jacobs et al. 2010).