summary: A new study reveals how interneurons, brain cells that regulate the firing of other neurons, function as traffic controllers in the hippocampus, an area important for learning and memory. Researchers have found that activating a single interneuron causes synchronized brain cell activity during rest, which may aid in memory formation.
The discovery reveals how interneurons influence brain rhythms and suggests that interneuron dysfunction may contribute to diseases such as epilepsy, autism, and schizophrenia. suggests. These findings could lead to targeted therapies for neurological conditions associated with abnormal brain rhythms.
important facts:
- Activating a single interneuron causes synchronized brain cell activity.
- Interneurons regulate brain rhythms that are important for learning and memory.
- The findings could help treat epilepsy, autism, and schizophrenia.
sauce: Durham University
Research led by Dr Marco Bocchio from Durham University’s School of Psychology has revealed how specific brain cells called interneurons can act as our built-in traffic controllers.
Research results will be published in a magazine PLOS Biology.
This research opens up possibilities for future treatments for neurological diseases by understanding how these brain cells communicate. Until now, it was unclear how individual interneurons contribute to larger patterns of brain activity.
Interneurons act like the brain’s traffic controllers, controlling the firing of other brain cells, and act like a sophisticated braking system.
This control is critical because differential behavior of interneurons can contribute to neurological diseases such as epilepsy, autism, and schizophrenia.
The research team studied interneurons in mice and looked at brain regions important for learning and memory within the hippocampus. They used advanced brain imaging and light-activated cell techniques.
They found that activating a single interneuron during periods of quiet and rest triggered a coordinated response across other brain cells, or short bursts of synchronized brain activity. . This happened without disturbing the existing organization of brain cells.
Activating a single interneuron weakens the brain’s “stop” signal, allowing groups of brain cells to fire together. These synchronized brain cell activities may help form new memories and process past experiences.
The discovery provides valuable insight into how our brains are organized and suggests that targeting interneurons could one day help treat diseases associated with pathological brain rhythms. It suggests something.
About this learning and memory research news
author: Marco Bocchio
sauce: Durham University
contact: Marco Bocchio – Durham University
image: Image credited to Neuroscience News
Original research: Open access.
“A functional network of inhibitory neurons regulates hippocampal synchronization” written by Marco Bocchio et al. PLOS Biology
abstract
A functional network of inhibitory neurons regulates hippocampal synchronization
Inhibitory interneurons are crucial components of cortical circuits. It has been proposed that it not only provides inhibition but also modulates the firing of excitatory neurons within cell aggregates.
Although the role of specific interneuron subtypes has been extensively studied, their influence on pyramidal cell synchrony in vivo remains unclear.
We employed an all-optical approach in mice to simultaneously record hippocampal interneurons and pyramidal neurons and used optogenetics to investigate the effects of individual interneurons on the network.
We demonstrate that CA1 interneurons form a functionally interconnected network that preserves endogenous cell assembly while promoting synchrony through disinhibition during wakeful immobility.
Our network model highlights the importance of both cell aggregates and dense, nonspecific interneuron connections in explaining experimental results, suggesting that interneurons exhibit not only division of labor but also cooperative This suggests that it may also be activated by other activities.
