Brain’s processing power vastly underestimated, suggests new study

In work that could change the way we think about how neural circuitry functions in the brain, scientists have shown that dendrites, long thought to be passive wiring in the brain, actually process information. “Suddenly, it’s as if the processing power of the brain is much greater than we had originally thought,” said study author Spencer Smith, from the University of North Carolina.

Dendrites are the branched projections of a neuron that act to conduct the electrochemical stimulation received from other neural cells to the cell body of the neuron from which the dendrites project. Smith’s team’s findings, published in the journalNature, indicate that dendrites actively process neuronal input signals themselves, effectively acting as mini computers.

Previous research using dissected brain tissue had demonstrated that, like neurons, dendrites could generate electrical spikes themselves, but it was unclear whether normal brain activity involved those dendritic spikes. For example, could dendritic spikes be involved in how we see?

Smith’s investigations required a series of intricate experiments that spanned two continents, beginning in study co-author Michael Hausser’s lab at University College London, and completed at the University of North Carolina.

The scientists used patch-clamp electrophysiology to attach a microscopic glass pipette electrode, filled with a physiological solution, to a neuronal dendrite in the brain of a mouse. The idea being, to directly “listen” in on the electrical signaling process.

Once the pipette was attached to a dendrite, Smith’s team took electrical recordings from individual dendrites within the brains of anesthetized and awake mice. As the mice viewed visual stimuli on a computer screen, the researchers saw an unusual pattern of electrical signals – bursts of spikes – in the dendrite.

The researchers found that the dendritic spikes occurred selectively, depending on the visual stimulus, indicating that the dendrites processed information about what the animal was seeing.

To provide visual evidence of their finding, the team filled neurons with calcium dye, which provided an optical tell-tale of spiking. This revealed that dendrites fired spikes while other parts of the neuron did not, indicating that the spikes were the result of local processing within the dendrites.

“All the data pointed to the same conclusion,” Smith summarized. “The dendrites are not passive integrators of sensory-driven input; they seem to be a computational unit as well.”

Related:
Discuss this article in our forum
A Computer In A Single Neuron
Chaotic Neurons Enhance Brain’s Processing
Magnetic field can alter moral judgments
Brain’s neurons found to communicate via electric fields

Source: University of North Carolina Health Care

, ,

Comments are closed.

Brain Teaser - Vintage Coin Operated Arcade Game  picture

Brain Teaser - Vintage Coin Operated Arcade Game 

$205.00



FIFTEEN 15 PUZZLE Number Slide Tile Brain Teaser Classic IQ Test Toy Game picture

FIFTEEN 15 PUZZLE Number Slide Tile Brain Teaser Classic IQ Test Toy Game

$5.85



Nintendo DS Brain AGE 2 More Training Minutes a DayDr.Kawashima Japan Cart Only picture

Nintendo DS Brain AGE 2 More Training Minutes a DayDr.Kawashima Japan Cart Only

$3.99



Dakin Pinky and The Brain BRAIN 2

Dakin Pinky and The Brain BRAIN 2" PVC Figure. Animaniacs

$14.99



2021 Topps Mars Attacks: Invasion 2026 #9 Brain Chip PSA 10 GEM MT picture

2021 Topps Mars Attacks: Invasion 2026 #9 Brain Chip PSA 10 GEM MT

$40.00



Terminator Brain Chip Keychain picture

Terminator Brain Chip Keychain

$5.00



1975 Wacky Packages 13th series 13   Brain Power. picture

1975 Wacky Packages 13th series 13 Brain Power.

$5.99



Bloody Brain picture

Bloody Brain

$8.99



Spikenard Oil 4oz Glass Spikenard can relax the brain and cardiovascular system picture

Spikenard Oil 4oz Glass Spikenard can relax the brain and cardiovascular system

$15.95



WACKY PACKAGES 3D SERIES 2 2021 SUPER IMPULSE UPICK MINI FIGURES SPARKLE COMMON  picture

WACKY PACKAGES 3D SERIES 2 2021 SUPER IMPULSE UPICK MINI FIGURES SPARKLE COMMON

$10.00



Powered by WordPress. Designed by WooThemes