A Behavioral Neuroscience Blog containing not-so-random snippets of information of interest to me and my students at Washington College (www.washcoll.edu)
Previously I reviewed the free 3D Brain App produced by the group at Cold Spring Harbor (CSH) Laboratories. For anyone who is looking for a more advanced neuroanatomical resource for their iPhone or iPad and is willing to spend $10, Pocket Brain is a serious contender. This resource is much more suited to the advanced neuroscience or medical student who is interested in learning the nitty-gritty neuroanatomical details necessary to accurately diagnose significant neurological impairments resulting from neurotrauma or disease of the brain and spinal cord. The application is one of three that comprise Pocket Anatomy - the other two are Pocket Body and Pocket Heart. Presently, these appear to be available only for use on Apple products using iOS (iPhone & iPad). BOTTOM LINE: This is a serious neuroanatomy app for the serious student. Well worth the investment for advanced graduate neuroscience and medical students, but most high school and college students may not utilize it fully. Not available for the Android Market. LINK: Available from the Apple App Store
What will they think of next. An article just published online in the journal Nature describes a revolutionary technique for exploring the intricate organization of the brain. Researchers at Stanford University have developed a means to make brain's transparent, yet retain their cellular organization. Although the brain is transparent, neurons and glia can be selectively stained and imaged in situ, in three-dimensions, using selective fluorescent markers for various types of cells, neurotransmitters, neurotransmitter receptors, or other cellular constituents. The technique was developed for imaging the brains of mice, but is applicable to other species including humans. Preliminary work reported in Nature, identified evidence of unusual patterns of connectivity with neural pathways a brain obtained from a boy that had been diagnosed with autism. Check out the video....
