(Press-News.org) The DFG-Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden - Cluster of Excellence at the TU Dresden (CRTD), the Dresden site of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin played a pivotal role in the study.
The adult brain continues to grow with the challenges that it faces; its changes are linked to the development of personality and behavior. But what is the link between individual experience and brain structure? Why do identical twins not resemble each other perfectly even when they grew up together? To shed light on these questions, the scientists observed forty genetically identical mice that were kept in an enclosure offering a large variety of activity and exploration options.
"The animals were not only genetically identical, they were also living in the same environment," explains principal investigator Gerd Kempermann, Professor for Genomics of Regeneration, CRTD, and Site Speaker of the DZNE in Dresden. "However, this environment was so rich that each mouse gathered its own individual experiences in it. Over time, the animals therefore increasingly differed in their realm of experience and behavior."
New neurons for individualized brains
Each of the mice was equipped with a special micro-chip emitting electromagnetic signals. This allowed the scientists to construct the mice's movement profiles and to quantify their exploratory behavior. The result: Despite a common environment and identical genes the mice showed highly individualized behavioral patterns. They reacted to their environment differently. In the course of the three-month experiment these differences increased in size.
"Though the animals shared the same life space, they increasingly differed in their activity levels. These differences were associated with differences in the generation of new neurons in the hippocampus, a region of the brain that supports learning and memory," says Kempermann. "Animals that explored the environment to a greater degree also grew more new neurons than animals that were more passive."
Adult neurogenesis, that is, the generation of new neurons in the hippocampus, allows the brain to react to new information flexibly. With this study, the authors show for the first time that personal experiences and ensuing behavior contribute to the „individualization of the brain." The individualization they observed cannot be reduced to differences in environment or genetic makeup.
„Adult neurogenesis also occurs in the hippocampus of humans," says Kempermann. "Hence we assume that we have tracked down a neurobiological foundation for individuality that also applies to humans."
Impulses for discussion across disciplines
„The finding that behavior and experience contribute to differences between individuals has implications for debates in psychology, education science, biology, and medicine," states Prof. Ulman Lindenberger, Director of the Center for Lifespan Psychology at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development (MPIB) in Berlin. "Our findings show that development itself contributes to differences in adult behavior. This is what many have assumed, but now there is direct neurobiological evidence in support of this claim. Our results suggest that experience influences the aging of the human mind."
In the study, a control group of animals housed in a relatively unattractive enclosure was also examined; on average, neurogenesis in these animals was lower than in the experimental mice. „When viewed from educational and psychological perspectives, the results of our experiment suggest that an enriched environment fosters the development of individuality," comments Lindenberger.
Interdisciplinary teamwork
The study is also an example of multidisciplinary cooperation — it was made possible because neuroscientists, ethologists, computer scientists, and developmental psychologists collaborated closely in designing the experimental set-up and applying new data analysis methods. Biologist Julia Freund from the CRTD Dresden and computer scientist Dr. Andreas Brandmaier from the MPIB in Berlin share first authorship on the article. In addition to the DZNE, CRTD, and the MPIB, the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence in Saarbrücken and the Institute for Geoinformatics and the Department of Behavioural Biology at the University of Münster were also involved in this project.
###
Original publication
„Emergence of Individuality in Genetically Identical Mice", Julia Freund, Andreas M. Brandmaier, Lars Lewejohann, Imke Kirste, Mareike Kritzler, Antonio Krüger, Norbert Sachser, Ulman Lindenberger, Gerd Kempermann, Science, doi: http://www.sciencemag.org/lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1235294
The Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden – CRTD at the Technische Universität Dresden was established in 2006 and was able to assert itself in the third round of the German excellence initiative as an excellence cluster and DFG Research Center. It is directed by the developmental and neurobiologist Prof. Dr. Michael Brand. The aim of the CRTD is to study the body's self-healing capabilites and develop completely new regenerative therapies for previously incurable diseases. The Center's research topics focus on haematology and immunology, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, and bone replacement. Currently four professors and nine research group leaders work at the CRTD and are integrated in an interdisciplinary network of more than 90 members of seven different institutions in Dresden. The network is additionally supported by 18 corporate partners. Synergies within the network allow a rapid transfer of findings from basic science to clinical applications. Website: http://www.crt-dresden.de
Das Max Planck Institute for Human Development (MPIB) was founded in 1963 in Berlin. As an interdiciplinary research institution, it is devoted to the study of human development and education. The institute belongs to the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science, one of the leading organizations for basic research in Europe. Website: http://www.mpib-berlin.mpg.de/de
The German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) investigates the causes of diseases of the nervous system and develops strategies for prevention, treatment and care. It is an institution of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres with sites in Berlin, Bonn, Dresden, Göttingen, Magdeburg, Munich, Rostock/Greifswald, Tübingen and Witten. The DZNE cooperates closely with universities, their clinics and other research facilities. Co-operation partners in Dresden are the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD), the Technische Universität Dresden and the Universitätsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus. Website: http://www.dzne.de/en
Press contact
Prof. Dr. Gerd Kempermann
CRTD Research Group Leader & Site Speaker of DZNE Dresden
Tel.: +49-351/458-82201
E-Mail: gerd.kempermann@dzne.de
Prof. Dr. Ulman Lindenberger
Director of the Center for Lifespan Psychology
Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin
Tel.: +49-30/82406-572
E-Mail: seklindenberger@mpib-berlin.mpg.de
Prof. Dr. Norbert Sachser
Department of Behavioural Biology
University of Münster
Tel.: +49-251/83-23884
E-Mail: sachser@uni-muenster.de
Birte Urban-Eicheler
Press and Public Relations
CRTD, Dresden
Tel.: +49-351/458-82065
E-Mail: birte.urban@crt-dresden.de
Dr. Dirk Förger
Head of Press and Public Relations
DZNE, Bonn
Tel.: +49-228/43302-260
E-Mail: dirk.foerger@dzne.de
Dr. Britta Grigull
Head of Press and Public Relations
Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin
Tel.: +49-30/824 06-211
E-Mail: grigull@mpib-berlin.mpg.de END
Experience leads to the growth of new brain cells
A new study examines how individuality develops
2013-05-10
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Bacterial infection in mosquitoes renders them immune to malaria parasites
2013-05-10
Scientists funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have established an inheritable bacterial infection in malaria-transmitting Anopheles mosquitoes that renders them immune to malaria parasites. Specifically, the scientists infected the mosquitoes with Wolbachia, a bacterium common among insects that previously has been shown to prevent malaria-inducing Plasmodium parasites from developing in Anopheles mosquitoes. Before now, researchers had been unable to create mosquitoes with a stable Wolbachia ...
Water on moon, Earth have a common source
2013-05-10
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] —Water inside the Moon's mantle came from primitive meteorites, new research finds, the same source thought to have supplied most of the water on Earth. The findings raise new questions about the process that formed the Moon.
The Moon is thought to have formed from a disc of debris left when a giant object hit the Earth 4.5 billion years ago, very early in Earth's history. Scientists have long assumed that the heat from an impact of that size would cause hydrogen and other volatile elements to boil off into space, meaning the Moon must ...
Pets may help reduce your risk of heart disease
2013-05-10
Having a pet might lower your risk of heart disease, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement.
The statement is published online in the association's journal Circulation.
"Pet ownership, particularly dog ownership, is probably associated with a decreased risk of heart disease" said Glenn N. Levine, M.D., professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and chair of the committee that wrote the statement after reviewing previous studies of the influence of pets.
Research shows that:
Pet ownership is probably associated with a reduction ...
NIH scientists create new tool for identifying powerful HIV antibodies
2013-05-10
A team of NIH scientists has developed a new tool to identify broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) capable of preventing infection by the majority of HIV strains found around the globe, an advance that could help speed HIV vaccine research. Scientists have long studied HIV-infected individuals whose blood shows powerful neutralization activity because understanding how HIV bNAbs develop and attack the virus can yield clues for HIV vaccine design. But until now, available methods for analyzing blood samples did not easily yield specific information about the HIV bNAbs ...
Where on Earth did the moon's water come from?
2013-05-10
Washington, D.C.— Water is perhaps the most important molecule in our solar system. Figuring out where it came from and how it was distributed within and among the planets can help scientists understand how planets formed and evolved. New research from a team including Carnegie's Erik Hauri demonstrates that water from the interiors of the Earth and Moon has a common origin. Their work is published online in Science Express.
The Moon is thought to have formed from a disc of debris left when a Mars-sized impactor hit the Earth 4.5 billion years ago, the Giant Impact. ...
Air pollution increases risk of insulin resistance in children
2013-05-10
New research shows that growing up in areas where air pollution is increased raises the risk of insulin resistance (the prescursor to diabetes) in children. The research is published in Diabetologia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), and is by Elisabeth Thiering and Joachim Heinrich, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany, and colleagues.
Previous studies have identified links between air pollution and other chronic conditions such as atherosclerosis and heart disease. However to date, epidemiological studies that have ...
Mosquito survey identifies reservoir of disease
2013-05-10
A large scale, five year study of mosquitoes from different ecological regions in Kenya, including savannah grassland, semi-arid Acacia thorn bushes, and mangrove swamps, found a reservoir of viruses carried by mosquitoes (arboviruses) that are responsible for human and animal diseases. This research, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Virology Journal, highlights the need for continued surveillance in order to monitor the risk of disease outbreaks.
Over 450,000 mosquitoes from 11 sites across Kenya were screened by researchers from the United States Army ...
Researchers identifies gene associated with eczema in dogs
2013-05-10
A novel gene associated with canine atopic dermatitis has been identified by a team of researchers led by professors Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, Uppsala university and Åke Hedhammar, SLU, Sweden. The gene encodes a protein called plakophilin 2, which is crucial for the formation and proper functioning of the skin structure, suggesting an aberrant skin barrier as a potential risk factor for atopic dermatitis.
Details appear today in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics.
Atopic dermatitis (or eczema) is an inflammatory, relapsing non-contagious skin disease affecting about ...
Heady mathematics
2013-05-10
VIDEO:
A computer-generated movie showing a collapsing soap bubble cluster where macroscopic gas dynamics are coupled to microscopic fluid flow inside the thin-film membranes, leading to membrane rearrangement, drainage, and rupture....
Click here for more information.
Bubble baths and soapy dishwater, the refreshing head on a beer and the luscious froth on a cappuccino. All are foams, beautiful yet ephemeral as the bubbles pop one by one.
Two University of California, Berkeley, ...
The Liverpool Care Pathway -- improvement in quality of end-of-life care
2013-05-10
Death in hospital remains very common for cancer patients in developed countries. Although hospital surveys show that death was highly expected, patients dying in hospital have a high probability of unrelieved and poorly treated physical suffering, and emotional, spiritual and social distress. Quality improvement programmes in the United States and United Kingdom suggest that aspects of the 'excellent practice' of palliative care can be transferred to other settings. The Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) for the dying patient is one pathway that seeks to achieve this. It offers ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Brain stimulation can boost math learning in people with weaker neural connections
Inhibiting enzyme could halt cell death in Parkinson’s disease, study finds
Neurotechnology reverses biological disadvantage in maths learning
UNDER EMBARGO: Neurotechnology reverses biological disadvantage in maths learning
Scientists target ‘molecular machine’ in the war against antimicrobial resistance
Extending classical CNOP method for deep-learning atmospheric and oceanic forecasting
Aston University research: Parents should encourage structure and independence around food to support children’s healthy eating
Thunderstorms are a major driver of tree death in tropical forests
Danforth Plant Science Center adds two new faculty members
Robotic eyes mimic human vision for superfast response to extreme lighting
Racial inequities and access to COVID-19 treatment
Residential segregation and lung cancer risk in African American adults
Scientists wipe out aggressive brain cancer tumors by targeting cellular ‘motors’
Capturability distinction analysis of continuous and pulsed guidance laws
CHEST expands Bridging Specialties Initiative to include NTM disease and bronchiectasis on World Bronchiectasis Day
Exposure to air pollution may cause heart damage
SwRI, UTSA selected by NASA to test electrolyzer technology aboard parabolic flight
Prebiotics might be a factor in preventing or treating issues caused by low brain GABA
Youngest in class at higher risk of mental health problems
American Heart Association announces new volunteer leaders for 2025-26
Gut microbiota analysis can help catch gestational diabetes
FAU’s Paulina DeVito awarded prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
Champions for change – Paid time off initiative just made clinical trials participation easier
Fentanyl detection through packaging
Prof. Eran Meshorer elected to EMBO for pioneering work in epigenetics
New 3D glacier visualizations provide insights into a hotter Earth
Creativity across disciplines
Consequences of low Antarctic sea ice
Hear here: How loudness and acoustic cues help us judge where a speaker is facing
A unique method of rare-earth recycling can strengthen the raw material independence of Europe and America
[Press-News.org] Experience leads to the growth of new brain cellsA new study examines how individuality develops