The Smart Gene The human brain has approximately 100 billion nerve cells, or neurons that are linked in networks to give rise to a variety of mental and cognitive attributes, such as memory, intelligence, and personality. These networks include the nerve cells. At the synapse, information in the form of chemicals called neurotransmitters flows from the so-called presynaptic cell to the postsynaptic cell. These nerve cells become more tightly linked when stimulated by a series of …showed first 75 words of 2336 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2336 total…remember by speeding up the reactions between neurons, or brain cells. After insertion was complete, Joe’s team observed the new transgenic mice, now named Doogie, along with other wild-type mice. One observation was how transgenic mice compared to wild-type mice in learning and memory experiments. The last experiment performed was a test for spatial learning. In all three experiments, the transgenic mice showed better and faster learning and memory abilities than the wild-type mice.