Tag

Neural Circuits

All articles tagged with #neural circuits

science13 days ago•138 min saved

Designer electrical synapses enable long-term, cell-type-specific circuit editing in mammals

A team engineered a heterotypic electrical synapse using Morone americana connexins Cx34.7 and Cx35 (Cx34.7(M1)–Cx35(M1)) that dock exclusively with each other and not with endogenous mammalian connexins. They developed FETCH to screen docking compatibility, used computational modeling to design docking-specific mutants, and demonstrated functional, selective coupling in vitro and in vivo. In C. elegans, the designer synapse recoded a thermotaxis circuit similarly to native Cx36–Cx36 connections; in mice, targeted LinCx editing between PYR neurons and PV+ interneurons in the prefrontal cortex enhanced theta–HFO coupling and altered neuronal dynamics and social/exploratory behaviors. This work establishes a platform for durable, precise circuit modification with potential therapeutic applications.

via Nature|

#circuit-editing #connexins #gap-junctions

science2 months ago•6 min saved

Relapse Switch: PV Neurons Regulate Addiction Circuits

New findings show relapse in addiction results from a circuit-level imbalance in the prefrontal cortex: parvalbumin-positive (PV) inhibitory neurons act as a gate on the PFC-to-VTA reward pathway. Suppressing PV cells reduced cocaine-seeking in mice, while activating them sustained drug-seeking after withdrawal; the effect is specific to drug rewards, not sugar, and not observed in other inhibitory cells. This reveals a targetable mechanism for relapse and suggests precision therapies to rebalance this circuit.

via Neuroscience News|

#addiction #neural-circuits #parvalbumin-neurons

science4 months ago•34 min saved

Pyramidal cells steer interneuron fate to shape cortical circuits

A Nature study shows pyramidal neuron subtypes actively sculpt cortical interneuron diversity by promoting their survival and terminal differentiation; in Fezf2 mutants lacking L5b pyramidal neurons, SST interneurons alter programmed cell death and PVALB interneurons switch subtype identity, via activity-independent PN–interneuron signaling and multiple molecular pathways, with a bioinformatic screen identifying candidate ligands and adhesion molecules.

via Nature|

#cortical-development #fezf2 #interneurons

science5 months ago•6 min saved

Scientists Develop Advanced Sensors to Decode Brain Cell Communication

Researchers have developed iGluSnFR4, a highly sensitive protein sensor that can detect faint incoming glutamate signals between neurons in real time, enabling a deeper understanding of neural computation, brain communication, and potential insights into neurological disorders like Alzheimer's and autism.

via Neuroscience News|

#brain-communication #glutamate-signaling #neural-circuits

science5 months ago•5 min saved

Research Reveals Innate Structures in Human Brain Development

Scientists found that human brain circuits produce ordered electrical patterns even before sensory experiences, suggesting that our brains are prewired with internal timing rules for understanding the world, as demonstrated through experiments on brain organoids and neonatal mouse slices.

via Earth.com|

#brain-development #early-neural-activity #neural-circuits

science6 months ago•140 min saved

Mouse Visual Cortex Develops Diverse Cell Types Continuously

The study provides a comprehensive transcriptomic and epigenomic atlas of mouse visual cortex development, revealing continuous cell-type diversification from embryonic to postnatal stages, with detailed trajectories for neuronal and glial cell types, enhancing understanding of cortical circuit formation.

via Nature|

#cell-development #mouse #neural-circuits

science8 months ago•3 min saved

Neural Mechanisms Regulating Fly Leg Movement and Balance

Researchers discovered that nerve cells sensing limb motion in fruit flies are turned off during movement, allowing the brain to switch between stabilizing posture and enabling dynamic action. This neural circuit, involving interneurons, helps balance stability and movement, with potential implications for treating human motor disorders and injury recovery.

via Neuroscience News|

#fruit-flies #motor-control #neural-circuits

biology8 months ago•26 min saved

Presynaptic Inhibition of Leg Proprioception in Drosophila

This study investigates how selective presynaptic inhibition modulates leg proprioception in behaving Drosophila, utilizing calcium imaging, connectomics, and computational modeling to understand neural mechanisms underlying sensorimotor control.

via Nature|

#behavior #biology #drosophila

neuroscience8 months ago•111 min saved

Comprehensive Brain Maps Reveal Decision-Making Dynamics

The study demonstrates that mice encode and utilize prior information across the entire brain during decision-making, with neural signals reflecting Bayesian priors that influence behavior, and these signals are distributed across cortical and subcortical regions, involving complex bidirectional information flow.

via Nature|

#bayesian-inference #brain-wide-neural-encoding #mouse-decision-making

science8 months ago•84 min saved

Amygdala-Liver Signaling Regulates Stress-Induced Blood Sugar Changes

The study uncovers a novel amygdala–liver pathway that rapidly regulates blood glucose during stress independently of traditional hormonal systems, involving specific neurons in the medial amygdala projecting to the hypothalamus and liver, which are activated by stress and control hepatic glucose production. Repeated stress disrupts this circuit, linking chronic stress to metabolic disorders like type 2 diabetes.

via Nature|

#amygdala #glycaemic-response #metabolic-regulation

neuroscience9 months ago•108 min saved

UCLA Study Maps Brain Network Linking Stress and Social Behavior in Mice

The study refines the understanding of the mouse medial prefrontal cortex (MPF), especially the dorsal peduncular cortex (DP), revealing its unique anatomy, cell types, and neural connectivity, including its role in autonomic and behavioral regulation through specific cortical, thalamic, hypothalamic, and brainstem pathways.

via Nature|

#anatomy #autonomic-responses #mouse

science9 months ago•6 min saved

Scientists Trigger Cross-Species Fruit Fly Romance via Single Gene

Scientists successfully transferred a nuptial gift-giving behavior from Drosophila subobscura to Drosophila melanogaster by manipulating a single gene, FruM, in insulin-producing brain cells, revealing how small genetic changes can repurpose existing neural circuits to create new social behaviors and offering insights into evolution and behavior modification.

via Study Finds|

#courtship-behavior #evolution #fruit-flies

science9 months ago•2 min saved

Scientists Achieve First Cross-Species Behavior Transfer via Single Gene

Researchers in Japan successfully transferred a courtship behavior from one fruit fly species to another by activating a single gene in insulin-producing neurons, demonstrating that small genetic changes can lead to new behaviors and contribute to species differentiation.

via Phys.org|

#behavior-transfer #evolution #fruit-fly

science10 months ago•5 min saved

Neural Mechanisms Behind Flee or Freeze Responses in Mice

A study reveals that evolution fine-tunes instinctive fear responses by adjusting the sensitivity of the dorsal periaqueductal gray (dPAG) in the brain, leading forest mice to escape quickly and open-field mice to freeze, demonstrating how survival behaviors are adapted through modifications in existing neural pathways rather than new ones.

via Neuroscience News|

#behavior #brain #evolution

science11 months ago•4 min saved

Groundbreaking Discovery Reveals Intelligence Evolved Twice on Earth

Recent studies reveal that bird and mammal intelligence evolved independently through different neural pathways, challenging traditional views and highlighting convergent evolution, which could inspire new AI development approaches.

via Rude Baguette|

#artificial-intelligence #avian-intelligence #convergent-evolution