Silent synapses are abundant in the adultbrain MIT nature
and learn new things without having to modify existing conventional synapses, the researchers say.
When scientists first discovered silent synapses decades ago, they were seen primarily in the brains of young mice and other animals. During, these synapses are believed to help the brain acquire the massive amounts of information that babies need to learn about their environment and how to interact with it. In mice, these synapses were believed to disappear by about 12 days of age .
In the new study, the MIT team did not set out specifically to look for silent synapses. Instead, they were following up on an intriguing finding from a previous study in Harnett's lab. In that, the researchers showed that within a single neuron, dendrites—antenna-like extensions that protrude from neurons—can process synaptic input in different ways, depending on their location.
Danmark Seneste Nyt, Danmark Overskrifter
Similar News:Du kan også læse nyheder, der ligner denne, som vi har indsamlet fra andre nyhedskilder.
The 4 'silent killers' that can strike as temperatures plummetSO it turns out you can’t actually pick up a cold from the cold. But, the cold weather does increase your chances of developing a host of killer conditions as immunity plummets. This is becau…
Læs mere »
Brain teaser challenges you to find missing object in pic in just 11 secondsCAN you crack this viral brain teaser that challenges you to find missing objects in the picture in just 11 seconds? Readers are given a picture of a book shelf with items on it from vases to elves…
Læs mere »
Air pollution can drive people to kill themselvesThe cause seems to be brain inflammation provoked by tiny, solid particles
Læs mere »