OSAKA, Japan — A team of researchers at Osaka Bioscience Institute in Suita, Japan, has identified a protein that is necessary to efficiently transmit visual information to the brain.

The researchers believe the protein plays a role in determining the efficiency of kinetic vision. They therefore named it pikachurin after Pikachu, a popular anime character in the Pokemon media franchise known for its lightning-fast moves.

The finding was revealed in the Sunday issue of the U.S. science magazine Nature Neuroscience's Web version.

The newly discovered protein is expected to be helpful in the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa, they said.

The researchers, headed by Takahisa Furukawa, discovered the pikachurin protein by analyzing mice genes that function at the formation of retinal visual cells that sense light.

Mice whose pikachurin genes have been destroyed showed slower eyeball responses tracking moving objects than normal mice, leading the researchers to believe that the pikachurin protein is connected with kinetic vision.

Nutrition Q&A

Water, water everywhere. How much do you know about what's in that bottle? Here's a quiz to find out.

1. Artesian water is a type of well water collected without pumping.

True or false?

2. The difference between well water and artesian water is that well water is mechanically pumped to the surface.

True or false?

3. If water is labeled as drinking water, it is right out of the ground.

True or false?

4. Mineral water is water that has minerals added.

True or false?

5. Purified water is more pure than tap water.

True or false?

6. Distilled water is a type of purified water.

True or false?

7. Sparkling water has carbon dioxide added.

True or false?

8. Seltzer, tonic water and club soda are considered soft drinks, not sparkling water.

True or false?

9. Spring water is from an underground spring.

True or false?

Source: "American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide; Revised & Updated 3rd Edition," by Roberta Larson Duyff (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., $24.95, 676 pages).

— From wire reports

Answers: 1. True; 2. True; 3. False. It must meet government standards and go through filtration and disinfection. 4. False. The minerals must be naturally present, not added. 5. False. It has been processed to remove minerals and solids, but that doesn't mean it is any better for you than tap water. 6. True. It has been evaporated to steam, then recondensed to remove minerals. 7. True, but it can also be naturally carbonated. 8. True; 9. True.