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SCAsource Snapshot

Snapshot: What is a Meta-Analysis?

Meta-analysis refers to a research process. You might think of it as a ‘Cliff’s Notes’ summary that compiles, evaluates, and synthesizes all of the individual research reports that were completed by the others. Using statistics, a meta-analysis synthesizes the findings of multiple similar scientific studies to produce an overall result. Read More…

Snapshot: What is the Cerebral Cortex?

The cortex has many folds, just like how an origami flower has many folds. This helps increase the brain surface area by tightly packing in neurons. “Origami Lotus Flowers” by Dominic’s pics is licensed under CC BY 2.0. The cerebral cortex, also called “the cortex,” is a highly organized layer of tissue that Read More…

¿Qué es la Escala Internacional Cooperativa de la Ataxia?

Escrito por Cristina (Yi) Peng Editado por la Dra. Hayley McLoughlin Traducción: Dra. Frida Loria La Escala Internacional Cooperativa de la Ataxia (del inglés International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale, ICARS) es una escala que se utiliza para evaluar el grado de discapacidad en pacientes con ataxia cerebelosa. Fue desarrollada en Read More…

Snapshot: What is Drosophila melanogaster?

Drosophila melanogaster is the scientific name of the common fruit fly. Yes, the ones flying around your green bin on a hot summer day. You may be surprised to learn that it is a commonly used model organism in biomedical research and has made significant contributions to many fields of Read More…

Snapshot: What are induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)?

Induced pluripotent stem cells or iPSCs are adult stem cells that can be transformed into different types of tissues or organs. This research can be used to study different disease mechanisms. Many multicellular organisms like us come from a fertilized egg cell, the zygote, which divides into more and more Read More…

Snapshot: What is the Medulla Oblongata?

The nervous system is made up of two main components: the central nervous system, which consists of the brain and the spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system, which consists of nerve cells that branch off the spinal cord and connect the central nervous system to the rest of the Read More…

Snapshot: What are somatic expansions?

In a nutshell: somatic expansions are expansions of repeat DNA sequences that accumulate in cells over an individual’s lifetime. A special kind of mutation: repeat expansion mutations Some genes naturally contain repeat sequences in the DNA. For the most part, these DNA repeats are relatively short and do not cause Read More…

Snapshot: What are adeno-associated viruses (AAV)?

Written by Paige Blair Edited by Larissa Nitschke & Celeste Suart What are adeno-associated viruses? Adeno-associated viruses, also known as AAV, are a type of virus that infects humans without causing a serious disease response. These viruses possess the unique ability to deliver DNA to specific cells in living organisms. Read More…

Decorative digital drawing of the brain

Snapshot: What is the pons?

Brainstem – the part that connects and acts as a communicator between our brain and our spinal cord. The brainstem itself is composed of midbrain, pons, and medulla oblangata. Even minor injuries or disruptions to this neural communication and this region can have devastating consequences. The pons is a horseshoe-shaped Read More…

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