Held in Washington, DC, USA. 2-3 February 2009

Transcranial magnetic stimulation to the dorsal premotor cortex of volunteers before practicing a manual task improved their ability to learn that task, showing that this region is involved in continuous consolidation of learned motor behaviors.

A new transgenic mouse line recapitulates endogenous patterns of human brain-derived neurotrophic (hBDNF) gene expression and alternative 5' splicing, showing promoter-specific regulation by kainic acid, and demonstrating for the first time that neural activity regulates the hBDNF gene.

Serotonergic and corazonergic, but not dopaminergic, neurons modulate the light-induced changes in fruit fly larvae locomotion during the photophobic foraging stage and photoneutral wandering stage of development.

Physiological estrogens induce dopamine efflux in rat pheochromocytoma cells expressing estrogen receptors leading to regulation of dopamine transporters, which offers mechanistic insight into the gender bias of dopamine-dependent neurological diseases.

Acute stroke patients presenting with hemiparesis or hemiplegia are significantly more likely to have a pontine infarction if they suffer from diabetes mellitus, experience non-vertiginous dizziness or display worsening of motor impairments.

Dr Bill Harris
Cambridge University, United Kingdom

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