Tracing cerebral cortex evolution, cell by cell

Molecular atlases of turtle and lizard brains shed light on the evolution of our own brain

07-May-2018 - Our cerebral cortex, a sheet of neurons, connections and circuits, comprises “ancient” regions such as the hippocampus and “new” areas such as the six-layered “neocortex”, found only in mammals and most prominently in humans. But when in evolution did the components of cerebral cortex arise and ...

Of men and mice

Identifying rapid neuromodulation of interneurons in human neocortex

30-Apr-2018 - The human neocortex mediates many of the capacities that distinguish us from our closest relatives such as conscious thought and language. It is therefore striking that our understanding of this brain area is still overwhelmingly based on studies with animal models. A team of scientists led by ...

Non-coding RNA reveals its secrets

16-Apr-2018 - Scientists from the Schuman Lab at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research have investigated the variety of structures and functions in non-coding parts of messenger RNA (mRNA) from brain cells. These untranslated regions (UTRs) are essential for regulating the stability and localization of ...

10-fold speed up for the reconstruction of neuronal networks

Flying through the brain thanks to a novel in-browser tool

15-Jun-2017 - Scientists working in „connectomics“, a research field occupied with the reconstruction of neuronal networks in the brain, are aiming at completely mapping of the millions or billions of neurons found in mammalian brains. In spite of impressive advances in electron microscopy, the key bottleneck ...

Seeking balanced networks

How neurons adjust their proteins during homeostatic scaling

26-Oct-2016 - Neurons adjust their synapses by altering the synthesis of hundreds of proteins to regulate synaptic strength and network activity. Learning and memory formation are based on our brain’s ability to adjust and regulate neuronal network activity. Neurons communicate at specialized structures known ...