Thursday, November 21, 2024
8.8 C
New York

Groundbreaking Study Reveals Neurons Communicate in a Way We Never Imagined

A major breakthrough has just been made in the healthcare industry as researchers discover a new mechanism that has control over the way nerve cells in our brain communicate with one another when it comes to learning and long-term memory. Lead researcher Jeremy Henley from the University of Bristol, UK, said, “These discoveries represent a significant advance and will have far-reaching implications for the understanding of memory, cognition, developmental plasticity, and neuronal network formation and stabilization.”


There are around 100 billion nerve cells in the human brain with each of those making around 10,000 synapses with other cells, and each one is either strengthened or weakened depending on different brain mechanisms. Previously, one of the best-known mechanisms that could increase the strength of data flow across synapses was long-term potentiation or LTP for short. LTP is responsible for intensifying the connection between cells, making them more efficient. It also plays a vital role in various *neurodegenerative conditions. If there is too much LTP, the person’s at risk of conditions such as epilepsy, and if there’s too little, it could cause dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

As far as the team knew NMDA receptors controlled LTP but now the researchers have discovered a new type of LTP that’s controlled completely differently by molecules called kainate receptors. “These data reveal a new and, to our knowledge, previously unsuspected role for postsynaptic kainate receptors in the induction of functional ad structural plasticity in the hippocampus,” the researchers wrote in Nature Neuroscience.


So essentially we’ve now revealed an unexplored mechanism that could prove vital to control learning and memory. Milo Petrovic is from the University of Central Lancashire and one of the researchers involved in the study, and he says, “Untangling the interactions between the signal receptors in the brain not only tells us more about the inner workings of a healthy brain, but also provides a practical insight into what happens when we form new memories. If we can preserve these signals, it may help protect against brain diseases.”

It may still be early days, but the team is confident this research will lead to a better understanding of the workings of the brain and the development of more effective treatments too. “This is certainly an extremely exciting discovery and something that could potentially impact the global population,” said Petrovic.


Related Links;

*neurodegenerative is the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, including the death of neurons. Many neurodegenerative diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Huntington’s occur as a result of neurodegenerative processes. Such diseases are incurable, resulting in progressive degeneration and/or death of neuron cells. Via Wikipedia


More News to Read

Hot this week

Brooklyn Defendants Charged in Rideshare Hacking Scheme: Jailbroken Phones Used to Exploit Uber

Brooklyn federal court has charged two defendants, Eliahou Paldiel...

Detecting Defects in Next-Generation Computer Chips: The Future of TMD-Based Semiconductors

As technology advances, the demand for smaller, more powerful...

Merging Galaxies in the Early Universe: The Birth of a Monster Galaxy

Astronomers have recently observed a fascinating event in the...

Topics

Brooklyn Defendants Charged in Rideshare Hacking Scheme: Jailbroken Phones Used to Exploit Uber

Brooklyn federal court has charged two defendants, Eliahou Paldiel...

Detecting Defects in Next-Generation Computer Chips: The Future of TMD-Based Semiconductors

As technology advances, the demand for smaller, more powerful...

Merging Galaxies in the Early Universe: The Birth of a Monster Galaxy

Astronomers have recently observed a fascinating event in the...

NASA’s Roman Space Telescope to Uncover Galactic Fossils and Dark Matter Mysteries

NASA’s Roman Space Telescope is set to transform our...

Black Myth: Wukong – A Game that Gamers Love Despite Media Backlash

In a gaming industry increasingly influenced by social agendas,...

Gravitational Waves Reveal a ‘Supercool’ Secret About the Big Bang

In 2023, physicists made a groundbreaking discovery that could...

Related Articles

Popular Categories

Send this to a friend