pyramidal cells of the cerebral cortex tagged posts

The synapses of pyramid cells in the cerebral cortex form functional groups. Some of the related synapses are shown in green in the reconstruction. Credit: MPI of Neurobiology / Scheuss

The contact points of cells in the cerebral cortex form functional groups. The cerebral cortex resembles a vast switchboard. Countless lines carrying information about the environment, for example from the sensory organs, converge in the cerebral cortex. In order to direct the flow of data into meaningful pathways, the individual pyramidal cells of the cerebral cortex act like miniature switchboard operators. Each cell receives information from several thousand lines. Scientists have shown for the first time that synapses between specific neuron types are clustered in groups on the target neuron...