Medical research

The unexpected cells helping to shape young brains

When the brain first wires itself up in early development, it creates more connections than it actually needs. Some of these connections, or synapses, will transmit critical signals as young animals begin to sense their surroundings. ...

Neuroscience

Research team reveals underpinnings of how motor memory forms

When you are first learning how to ride a bicycle or play a musical instrument, your physical movements are uncoordinated at best. But with time and lots of repetition, your brain's motor neurons create a kind of shorthand ...

Neuroscience

How the brain generates rhythmic behavior

Many of our bodily functions, such as walking, breathing, and chewing, are controlled by brain circuits called central oscillators, which generate rhythmic firing patterns that regulate these behaviors.

Neuroscience

How brain circuits switch between different behaviors

Even during such routine tasks as a daily stroll, our brain sometimes needs to shift gears, switching from navigating the city to jumping out of the way of a bike or to crossing the street to greet a friend. These switches ...

Neuroscience

How different flavors of inhibition save the day

During development, lack of sensory experience elicits powerful plasticity mechanisms that alter brain circuitry. Many inhibitory neuron subtypes are known to influence circuit dynamics, but how they interact with plasticity ...

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