join neural networks tagged posts

The sea slug Tritonia in mid-escape, forms a memory of the attack it just experienced from the seastar below. Credit: William Frost, PhD

Neuroscientists have discovered a novel mechanism for memory formation. Voltage-sensitive dye imaging of the swim motor program of the sea slug Tritonia reveals that some neurons possess characteristics that predispose them to join neural networks in which learning is taking place. The findings represent a shift from the field’s long-term focus on synaptic plasticity.

“In a prior study, we discovered neurons, whose participation in networks varies on a moment-to-moment basis, displaying a surprising ambivalence about their commitment to the network’s function,” said Prof William Frost...