Chinese scientists have discovered that a single neurone is capable not only of transmitting signals but also of participating in complex thought processes. The study showed that its dendrites help the brain recognise patterns and identify rules. This was reported by Science and Technology Daily, a partner of TV BRICS.
A team led by Xu Ninglong, a researcher at the Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, conducted an experiment on mice. The animals were trained to distinguish between high-pitched and low-pitched sounds. During the experiment, the boundary between the two unexpectedly shifted, so the mice had to re-evaluate the rules for completing the task in order to receive a reward.
Using high-precision two-photon microscopy, the scientists observed the activity of different parts of the nerve cells. They discovered that the cell body of the neurone processes information about sounds, whilst its apical dendrites encode the rules that the animal identifies whilst performing the task.
The researchers then selectively suppressed the activity of the dendrites. As a result, the signals in the neurone’s cell body associated with decision-making weakened noticeably. This confirmed that dendrites are directly involved in information processing and decision-making.
Before, researchers mostly looked at how dendrites worked when they processed sensory information and controlled movements. This new study has indicated that they are also involved in more complex cognitive processes – helping the brain to identify patterns and adapt its behaviour according to circumstances.
The findings call into question the view of the neurone as a simple link in a neural network. It turns out that a single nerve cell is capable of performing complex calculations thanks to the interaction between its different parts.