GABA-ergic interneurons provide diverse inhibitions that are essential for the operation of neuronal circuits in the neocortex. However, the mechanisms that control the functional organization of ...

It had been previously discovered that, in the neocortex, electrical synapses were the blueprint for chemical synapses. However, from early development to adulthood, chemical synapses were seldom ...

Plasticity - the brain's ability to change based on experience and its own activity - is a key to critical functions such as making memories. For the first time, Brown University scientists have shown ...

A child with absence epilepsy may be in the middle of doing something—she could be dancing, studying, talking—when all of a sudden she stares off into space for a few moments. Then, as quickly as she ...

(Nanowerk Spotlight) The human brain processes complex information while consuming merely the power of a dim light bulb. This remarkable efficiency stems from synapses, the connections between brain ...

The mammalian brain is an intricately wired network of neuronal cells that is capable of executing complex processing of sensory information to determine organism behavior. Essential for the ...

Electrical synapses that carry messages through the brain have been artificially engineered in mammals for the first time, altering their behaviour. This could have potential for preventing or ...

The brain's ability to reorganize itself - strengthening or weakening connections between neurons or adding or subtracting those connections - allows it to form memories, make transitions between ...