U. study: Could gene manipulation be a boost to the brain?

SALT LAKE CITY — A newly published study from University of Utah researchers suggests there are ways to improve the adaptability of brains in mice even after the naturally occurring window for such flexibility has closed.Specifically, the component of the brain responsible for sight — called the visual cortex — regained adaptability in middle-age mice subjects following the manipulation of a gene called arc, said Jason Shepherd, professor of neurobiology and anatomy at the U. a