Some neurons in the cerebral cortex show higher spontaneous activity during general anesthesia than when awake, and this activity is synchronized across the cortical cells.
Human neurons have fewer ion channels compared to other animals. The reduced number of ion channels may have allowed the human brain to divert energy to other neural processes, researchers say.
Researchers have identified functional features that make human neurons unique.
Study reveals the role the mouse gene Ophn1 plays in helpless behaviors and identified three methods in which to reverse the effect.
Area 32, a region of the anterior cingulate, balances activity from cognitive and emotional areas of the primate brain.
Results from a new study implicate the ventromedial thalamus in cost-benefit decision making.
Researchers have identified a new mechanism of learning that stabilizes memory and reduces interference between different memories.
Chandelier cells have an unusual direct method of communication. Unlike other neurons, chandelier cells connect directly to the part of a target neuron that initiates a spike.
GABAergic interneuron excitation is essential for network activity in the hippocampus of the fetal brain.
Cognitive challenges trigger a slight oxygen deficit in hippocampal pyramidal neurons. This increases the production of erythropoietin (Epo) and its receptors in the active neurons, stimulating neighboring precursor cells to form new neurons and enhancing connectivity.
Increased potassium currents were responsible for hyperactivity of CA3 neurons. When exposed to potassium channel blockers, the hyperactivity disappeared. However, when exposed to lithium, the drug not only reversed hyperactivity but reduced potassium currents at the same time. The findings strengthen the case that potassium currents play a role in bipolar disorder.
Researchers have identified a distinct excitatory neuron in the retrosplenial cortex that encodes direction related information over long durations.
