neuroscience9.865 min read
Memory's Dual Libraries: Distinct Neuron Groups Encode Content and Context
3 days ago•Source: SciTechDaily
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25.59 min•7 days ago
Prefrontal Neural Geometry Shapes Motivated Behaviors
This study investigates how the neural geometry of learned cues in the prefrontal cortex guides motivated behaviors, utilizing datasets available on GitHub and analyzing neural activity related to cue processing and decision-making in animals.
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Astrocyte CCN1 Enhances Stability of Adult Neural Circuits
Nature•28 days ago
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Astrocytes Remote from Lesions Regulate Microglia in White Matter Repair
Nature•28 days ago
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Molecular Insights into Brain Endothelial-Astrocyte Communication in Mice and Humans
This study used molecular profiling and innovative proteomics techniques to explore how brain endothelial cells communicate with astrocyte endfeet in mice and humans, revealing dynamic ligand-receptor interactions that are modulated during peripheral inflammation and are conserved across species, with implications for understanding neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases.
Sensory Expectations Influence Motor Circuit Dynamics
The article explores how sensory expectations influence neural population activity in motor circuits, shedding light on the neural mechanisms underlying movement preparation and control.
Epigenetic Techniques to Control Memory Activation in Neurons
This study developed cell-type- and locus-specific epigenetic editing tools using CRISPR-dCas9 to modulate memory expression in engram cells, demonstrating that targeted epigenetic modifications at the Arc gene locus can bidirectionally regulate memory formation and retention in mice, with effects that are reversible and applicable beyond initial memory consolidation.
Brainstem Circuits as Key Regulators of Chronic Pain and Need-State Control
The study identifies Y1 receptor-expressing neurons in the lateral parabrachial nucleus as key modulators of long-term pain, showing that their activity correlates with persistent pain states and can be suppressed by need states like hunger and thirst through NPY signaling, which gates nociceptive input to promote survival.
Scientists Unveil New Brain Map Revealing How Decisions Are Made
The study uses an innovative deep learning method to analyze neural population activity during perceptual decisions in rats, revealing a transition from input-driven evidence accumulation to autonomous decision commitment, characterized by a shift in neural modes and dynamics that are not fully explained by existing attractor hypotheses, and proposing a simplified model (MMDDM) that captures these complex neural processes and their behavioral correlates.
Brain Rhythms Direct Memory and Novelty Processing
Researchers have uncovered how the brain dynamically switches between memory recall and processing new information by modulating the balance between slow (theta) and fast (gamma) rhythms through distinct inhibitory circuits, a mechanism that could inform treatments for neurological conditions like Alzheimer's and epilepsy.
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.
Amygdala activity influences exploration during aversive learning
The study investigates how rate and noise in the human amygdala influence increased exploration during aversive learning, highlighting neural mechanisms underlying decision-making under threat and uncertainty.
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.
Brain's Decision-Making: Perception vs. Memory
The brain seamlessly switches between external perception and internal memory, involving overlapping yet distinct neural networks, with ongoing research exploring whether a central control system manages these shifts or if they emerge from competitive dynamics within shared networks, which has implications for understanding cognitive function and disorders.