Neuroscience

Validating the role of inhibitory interneurons in memory

Memory, a fundamental tool for our survival, is closely linked with how we encode, recall, and respond to external stimuli. Over the past decade, extensive research has focused on memory-encoding cells, known as engram cells, ...

Neuroscience

How synaptic vesicles accumulate glutamate

In the brain, neurons communicate via neurotransmitters, which trigger electrical signals in downstream neurons by binding and activating specific receptors. Neurotransmitters are released through the fusion of synaptic vesicles, ...

Neuroscience

Astrocyte cells critical for learning skilled movements

From steering a car to swinging a tennis racket, we learn to execute all kinds of skilled movements during our lives. You might think this learning is only implemented by neurons, but a new study by researchers at The Picower ...

Neuroscience

Silent synapses are abundant in the adult brain

MIT neuroscientists have discovered that the adult brain contains millions of "silent synapses"—immature connections between neurons that remain inactive until they're recruited to help form new memories.

Neuroscience

Revealing roles of dementia proteins in normal memory

New research has revealed how the tau protein, a critical element in the formation of Alzheimer's disease, is also involved in normal learning processes in the healthy brain—potentially providing a focal point for future ...

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