All articles tagged with #neurons
A Nature study identifies a rare group of cortical inhibitory neurons (Sst-Chodl) that can initiate sleep across the brain. In mice, activating these cells drives delta waves and REM sleep, shortens time to fall asleep, and influences distant brain regions, suggesting the cortex can actively trigger sleep and may sense sleep pressure—a finding with implications for sleep disorders and future research on brain-wide sleep control.
A South Korean study suggests the ERBB4 receptor becomes abnormally active in excitatory neurons during Alzheimer's, triggering multiple disease processes. In mouse models, removing ERBB4 from these neurons reduced harmful brain activity, lessened glial reactivity and plaques, and improved memory, pointing to ERBB4 as an early driver of Alzheimer's pathology and a potential therapeutic target.
Researchers using voltage-imaging in mice show dendrites can compute independently of the cell body, effectively turning a neuron into a multi-processor. In novel environments, some dendrites encode new locations before the soma and can preserve past activity as memory traces, suggesting dendrites act as local memory devices and that brain power is much greater than previously thought due to complex dendritic architectures.
Researchers modeled ECT with REPOPS in mice to mimic ECT-like neuronal activation and found mature neurons undergo Cyclin B–driven nuclear reprogramming, entering a dematured, highly plastic state that lasts over a month. This state rewrites gene expression to resemble early postnatal development and persistently alters chromatin accessibility and neural coding, shifting from spatial maps to faster navigation signals. Human postmortem dentate gyrus from individuals treated with ECT show a similar immature-like gene expression profile, suggesting translational relevance. Blocking Cyclin B prevented nuclear reprogramming and behavioral changes, underscoring Cyclin B as a necessary driver. Caution is urged: while such plasticity could aid recovery after injury, it might contribute to pathology if misapplied.
New research shows that human cortical neurons are exceptionally powerful computing units, thanks to dense, branching dendritic trees and unique electrical properties. Using AI to mimic a single neuron’s input-output behavior, scientists found its processing depth rivals a deep neural network, challenging the view that intelligence scales mainly with brain size. The work introduces a Functional Complexity Index to quantify neuronal computation and offers a blueprint for brain-inspired AI built from intrinsically deep biological units.
Johns Hopkins researchers identified an evolutionarily ancient cluster of inhibitory neurons (the PLTi) in mice that act as an attention switch by modulating the midbrain’s superior colliculus. Silencing these neurons makes mice hyper-distractible, while reactivating them restores focus, suggesting a conserved mechanism for selective spatial attention that could inform human ADHD research, though further studies are needed.
A Nature study used temporarily implanted brain electrodes in epilepsy patients to observe real-time single-neuron activity in the frontotemporal cortex as people spoke. It found specialized neurons that encode parts of speech and semantics or syntax, with many neurons firing just before specific components (e.g., nouns) are spoken. The left hemisphere showed greater involvement, and the researchers noted that both brain activity and large-language models track the sentence context up to about five preceding words to shape the next word—supporting a modular view of language built from neuronal building blocks.
A Nagoya City University study shows slow, spontaneous fluctuations in histamine neurons bias moment-to-moment memory accessibility in mice: higher histamine activity before a cue improves memory-guided responses, while lower activity reduces them. Using real-time cues and optogenetics, researchers confirm a priming-state mechanism that prepares memory circuits, with the basolateral amygdala acting downstream, suggesting memory lapses can arise from brain state rather than memory decay.
University of Michigan researchers identify a dedicated population of touch-sensitive neurons that innervate fine vellus-like hairs (peach fuzz) and transmit mechanical itch in a mouse model of chronic skin inflammation. Removing or silencing these neurons markedly reduces scratching, and activating them with blue light reproduces itch behavior, confirming causality. The study also maps transmission proteins linking hairs to the spinal cord, with human neurons responding to the same proteins, suggesting a conserved mechanism and a potential new therapeutic target for persistent itch in eczema and related conditions.
A single-cell analysis of over a million brain cells from six cortical regions in 30 people found subtle but widespread sex differences in gene activity, with more than 100 genes showing consistent sex-related expression patterns. Sex accounts for less than 1% of overall gene-expression variation, but these molecular signatures could help explain why risks for conditions like schizophrenia and Alzheimer's differ by sex and how hormonal environments might modulate brain biology across life.
Researchers at Indiana University identified neuronal IDOL as a new drug target for Alzheimer’s, showing that reducing IDOL activity in brain neurons lowers amyloid plaques and APOE levels, while boosting receptors that regulate APOE and amyloid. The neuron-focused approach produced stronger effects than targeting microglia, suggesting a potential multi-benefit therapy. Next steps include preclinical safety testing and evaluating whether IDOL blockade preserves synapses and reduces tau pathology.
A new AI-based system called SIGNET maps causal gene regulatory networks across six brain cell types in Alzheimer's brains, revealing extensive gene rewiring—especially in excitatory neurons—and identifying hub genes that could serve as early diagnostic markers or therapeutic targets.
A Bonn-led study finds that the human brain stores memory content and its context in separate neuron populations—content neurons fire for specific items, context neurons for the task or situation—whose coordinated interactions enable flexible recall through pattern completion.
Researchers discovered that rebalancing activity in a specific amygdala circuit in mice can reverse anxiety and social withdrawal, highlighting a potential target for mental health treatments.
Researchers at Penn State discovered that stress-sensitive type-one nNOS neurons regulate brain blood flow and neural activity; their loss due to chronic stress may contribute to brain health decline and neurodegenerative diseases like dementia, highlighting a new environmental risk factor.