Summary: A study discussed by Karen Barrett of the Institute for Health & Aging at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) highlights how musical improvisation engages distinct brain networks…
Category: synaptic plasticity
Brain Conductors Find Precise Connection to Target Cells via Protein Handshake
Summary: Researchers have identified two specific proteins, gliomedin and CNTNAP4, that act as a “handshake” mechanism allowing inhibitory chandelier cells to connect precisely with excitatory pyramidal neurons. This connection is…
Shrews Shrink and Regrow Brains, Offering Clues for Human Diseases
Summary: Scientists used non-invasive MRI to study shrews that seasonally shrink and regrow their brains, uncovering water loss as the key driver of this rare phenomenon. Despite losing about nine…
