Last 2020, scientists were able to pick up distinct brain signals that had never been observed before. Such findings hint at how the brain is a more powerful computational device than previously thought.
Distinct Brain Signals
According to Science Alert, back then, researchers from German and Greek institutes were able to report a brain mechanism in the outer cortical cells. They reported their discoveries in the Science journal.
On its own, this mechanism produces a "novel graded signal." This could offer singular neurons an alternative way of executing their logical functions.
Gizmodo notes that the process could be vital to understanding the brain and improving programs that are inspired by how the human brain works.
The researchers gauged the electrical activity in tissue sections that were taken out during surgery among patients with epilepsy. They also looked at the structure with fluorescent microscopy. Upon doing these, the neurologists discovered that individual cortical cells did not just make use of sodium ions for firing; they tapped calcium as well.
The mix of positively charged ions enabled never-before-seen voltage levels. This is referred to as dCaAPs (calcium-mediated dendritic action potentials).
Human Brains Are Like Computers
Human brains, specifically, are often likened to computers. While there are limitations to such analogies, there are certain functions that are performed similarly between the two.
Science Alert notes that, for one, both make use of electrical voltages in order to execute functions. In computers, it is executed through electrons flowing through transistors. In neurons, on the other hand, the signals are a wave of channels that open and close and that exchange charged particles. The flowing ion pulse is referred to as the "action potential."
Rather than utilizing transistors, the human brain chemically manages the signals through its dendrites, which are central to knowing the brain due to their crucial role in determining single neuronal computational capacity.
These neural parts serve as traffic lights of some sort. When the levels of action potential are sufficient, they may be passed on to other neurons, which could pass or block the signal.
This basically shows how the brain works in two distinct ways: AND and OR. If x and why get triggered, the message will be relayed. Moreover, if x or y gets triggered, the message will also be passed.
This intricacy is more complex in the outer section of the cerebral cortex. The cortex's deeper secondary and third layers are remarkably thick and filled with branches that execute executive functions. The researchers specifically looked into tissues from these layers.
They connected the neurons to a somatodendritic patch clamp. They did so in order to deploy active potentials "up and down each neuron" and document their signals.
For them, to see the dendritic action potential was a remarkable "eureka" moment for them.
They then double-checked their findings in order to make sure that these findings were not exclusive to patients with epilepsy. They did the counterchecking by looking into samples taken from various brain tumors.
The researchers also conducted similar procedures among rat models. When they induced tetrodotoxin, which is a channel blocker of sodium, in cells, they were still able to pick up signals.
On top of the and-or functions, such respective neurons could also serve as isolated "exclusive OR (XOR) intersections." In such a case, a signal is only allowed when a different signal is graded in a certain way. Typically, a network solution was necessary for XOR operations.
To know the behavior of dCaAPs across other neurons, there is a need to conduct further work in a living system. Scientists are also in for an exciting mystery regarding how this computationally logical tool got squeezed into neurons and leads to executive functions.
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