Aplysia, tell me the secrets of the brain

Aplysia, tell me the secrets brain aplysia who discovered Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease gene www.thebeijingnews.com 2007-1-1515: 54 26: source: Beijing News sea Hare, which live in the coral reef on crustaceans and mollusks, despite the length of only 20 cm, with 2 million nerve cells in the early years was used as a cognitive brain and bio cognitive behavioral patterns. Recently, Neurobiology · Eric Kandel again in aplysia interpretation of nerve cells, the biological evolution of passwords: the sea-Hare and the human brain genes as well study found two animals have a common ancestor. The research results published in the latest issue of the journal cell. Kandel, the scientists noted that, at the beginning of evolution, multitudinous biological neuron gene have a common, but in the process of evolution of species, some of them were lost, some still preserved. In addition to this, the scientists also found in aplysia neurons and the human spirit disease-related genes, similarity of up to 70 percent. Researchers hope that it will provide for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and so brought the Gospel. And human kind make-ups aplysia become of the human brain model organism of gold. The brain activity of "spokesman" is the brain who is the most difficult part of the research, but also the people really know oneself cannot escape from the area. For a long time, ways to study the human brain, exactly have been plaguing the scientists. In the course of about brain research, there are a lot of misunderstanding of last resort, the mystery of the brain also. Take that schizophrenia is the first in the treatment of schizophrenia specifics is misunderstood schizophrenia patients brain dopamine in the distribution of cases has been used for over 50 years. The difficulty facing attack there, scientists began to adopt flanking policies. Research shows that different species of brain although very different in form, but at the gene level it has a high homology, making the brain a similar basic functionality. Thus, in the brain and cognitive sciences in the choice of model organism becomes crucial. The 2000 Nobel Prize in Physiology and medicine Laureate Professor chose Kandel aplysia as a model organism, the various acts, including the future of learning behavior in combination with the plasticity of study, determine the short-term and long-term memory is stored in the nervous system. Aplysia, is a kind of marine invertebrates. In the middle of last century, neuroscience research already know the hippocampus in the formation of memory plays a central role. But, nevertheless, to have 1000 billion neurons in the brain study memory formation in the still very difficult. In the next 20 years, researchers still do not understand why. Stagnant for more than 20 years, Kandel fixes, select the only 2 000 neurons in aplysia as his experimental objects. Kandel noted biology on memory storage of this piece is like a black hole, 25 years ago we knew little about it. While sea marine life rabbit this fairly large nerve cells, the researchers do not need to use the microscope can be observed with the naked eye. In fact, Kandel has just made available a simple organisms to solve complex problems, suffered a lot of doubts, and worked with many years of Kandel a colleague said: "this was a very courageous, because most people are still in the research of very basic problems. " But as Kandel profiled, aplysia become brain gold model organism, to some extent, aplysia become the spokesman of brain activity, at least in the short-term and long-term memory is stored in the nervous system in this complex cognitive activity. But Eric · Kandel, because of memory formation of molecular mechanisms of achievements, won the 2000 Nobel Prize for Physiology and medicine. Aplysia alsohas in elderly patients with dementia, the neurons more aplysia are scientists into the laboratory. On aplysia neurons that prompts a lot for a single neuron behaviour and neural network relationships. Thus, it was speculated that the cerebral functionality of human complex may only in marine invertebrates simple neural network can finally understand. As a pioneer of this model organism doyenne Kandel also did not give up on aplysia research. This time, Kandel and colleagues on the sea-Hare and conduct an in-depth study on the human brain neurons revealed the existence of aplysia Parkinson's disease, mental illness similar genes. In the Animal Kingdom, sea rabbit brain cells, or neurons is the largest, has a mm size. Kandel and University of Florida's Les Europe Denis · omolo (LeonidMoroz) assembled a team of researchers with a 16 inch long California sea Hare as the object of study. "Until now, we are the neurone each other genes, still know very little," Campo del said. Aplysia owns several memory capacity has also been used as a model organism for the study of memory and brain research has developed to the gene level, similar to Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and other neurological disorders, and gene. Maybe now it's time for a change of thought. This transformation, there has been surprising discoveries. The researchers found that in aplysia brain cells, a total of 1 million genes. Researchers analyzed the 168 neural diseases 146 gene found in aplysia of neurons also found relevant similarity 104 gene, over 70 percent. Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease genes have been found in aplysia. Scientists believe that this will for humanity to overcome senile dementia and other mental diseases provides better research fields, contribute to the understanding, prevention and treatment-related neurological and psychiatric diseases. Even more amazing is that even if the man and the sea in 5 million rabbit 3000 million years ago there has been an independent evolutionary lines, however aplysia genes and human gene phaseLike a degree, far from the flies and worms. The researchers explained that perhaps the beginning of the evolution of species, have similar neurological development, have similar genes. Just then a long evolutionary process, these genes were lost in some species, but also in some species are saved. Aplysia and mankind is to preserve the original gene species. This is further proof that the human brain aplysia study of neurons, genes, you sure can tell us the secrets of the brain. Compile reporter Li Jian-