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posted by cmn32480 on Monday November 14 2016, @03:57AM   Printer-friendly
from the smarter-than-average dept.

A gene that regulates bone growth and muscle metabolism in mammals may take on an additional role as a promoter of brain maturation, cognition and learning in human and nonhuman primates, according to a new study led by neurobiologists at Harvard Medical School.

Describing their findings in the Nov. 10 issue of Nature, researchers say their work provides a dramatic illustration of evolutionary economizing and creative gene retooling -- mechanisms that contribute to the vast variability across species that share nearly identical set of genes yet differ profoundly in their physiology.

The research reveals that osteocrin -- a gene found in the skeletal muscles of all mammals and well-known for its role in bone growth and muscle function -- is completely turned off in rodent brains yet highly active in the brains of nonhuman primates and humans.

Notably, osteocrin was found predominantly in cells of the neocortex -- the most evolved part of the primate brain, which regulates sensory perception, spatial reasoning and higher-level thinking and language in humans.

Article is paywalled; an abstract is available: Evolution of Osteocrin as an activity-regulated factor in the primate brain. Nature, 2016; 539 (7628): 242 DOI: 10.1038/nature20111

Some scientists and other knowledge workers use Ritalin to enhance their cognitive function. Meanwhile, DARPA and others are experimenting with stimulating brains with electrical impulses. Are we just scratching the surface of cognitive enhancement?


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  • (Score: 2) by aristarchus on Monday November 14 2016, @05:45AM

    by aristarchus (2645) on Monday November 14 2016, @05:45AM (#426445) Journal

    Now, at the end, do we realize the true power of the dark side of nature! Bone-heads! Literally, heads of bone! We are thinking with Bone! Which, actually, is better than thinking with meat [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tScAyNaRdQ from the original short story by Terry Bisson] On the other hand, zombies are not far off, they want bones, but have mistakenly fixated on brains. Bone brains. Better than meat brains! Or, well, meat that, never mind.

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