Each of the Brain’s Neurons Is Like Multiple Computers Running in Parallel
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Summary
Each neuron in the human brain contains information in its cables called dendrites that can be considered and processed as individual “mini-computers”
Researchers from the University of California, San Diego, have analysed how information flows in and out of the dendrites, which are the branching projections on a neuron that receive communications from other neurons.
The research involved training mice to press a lever for a watery treat and then measuring the activity in their brains.
Consequently, it was discovered that learning-related plasticity is governed by synapses’ local interactions, with some synapses following global neuron activity and others mostly strengthening or weakening their connections in step with the neuron’s overall activity, therefore changing the way neurons and their associated networks function.
