New Delhi, Aug 19: A examine offers first proof for the existence of modules within the mind, or clusters of neurons, that carry out the identical computation throughout diverse duties, which can assist clarify how the mind takes on many capabilities with flexibility.
Researchers recognized neurons within the prefrontal cortex that can be utilized to retailer both a sensory enter or an motion plan in working reminiscence.
“We discovered that the mind would not dedicate a separate group of neurons for each sort of knowledge. As an alternative, it makes use of the identical populations of neurons to carry out the identical computation on completely different varieties of knowledge, which implies the identical subset of neurons can maintain each an motion and a sensory stimulus in working reminiscence,” lead writer Yuma Osako, a postdoctoral researcher from the Massachusetts Institute of Know-how (MIT), US, mentioned.
The invention, printed within the journal Nature Neuroscience, helps the speculation that reusable circuits enable the mind to combine and match parts to generate a wealthy number of behaviour, the researchers mentioned.
“Our on a regular basis life requires us to briefly maintain many alternative varieties of knowledge. One large query is how the mind can symbolize a vast variability of knowledge utilizing solely a finite variety of neurons,” Osako mentioned.
Mice had been skilled on a job and discovered to find out whether or not two sensory stimuli (excessive or low pitched tones) had been the identical, and reply.
Electrical exercise within the mice’s brains had been recorded, specializing in the prefrontal cortex, which is concerned in govt capabilities comparable to planning and decision-making, and the parietal cortex, which processes sensory data and plans motion.
An evaluation of {the electrical} exercise allowed the researchers to establish teams of neurons that encode particular items of knowledge.
The workforce checked out two time durations — the time between the primary and second tone, when the animals are holding a reminiscence of the primary tone, and the time between the second tone and the purpose the place they must determine on an motion.
In the course of the second time interval, the animals are holding their determination and motion plan of their working reminiscence.
Neurons inside the parietal cortex appeared to solely retailer a reminiscence of the tone.
Nonetheless, within the prefrontal cortex, a cluster of neurons had been recognized that might swap between the 2 forms of reminiscence. In the course of the first period, the neurons saved a reminiscence of the primary tone, however in the course of the second, they had been chargeable for remembering the plan of motion, the researchers discovered.
Re-using the clusters for diverse functions permits the animals to flexibly retailer various kinds of data, they mentioned.
The examine findings help the concept that the identical neurons concerned in computations are probably used for diverse functions, the researchers mentioned. (PTI)
