'Minicomputers' Live Inside the Human Brain

A recent study has shown that neurophysiology may be even more complicated than previously thought. Researchers from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have found evidence that dendrites are not simple wiring, but in fact function as “minicomputers”. More specifically, they work to interpret and sort the massive amount of information sent to the neurons. The researchers were able to measure the electrical signals of individual dendrites in the brains of mice. This is a technical accomplishment in itself, but what they observed when the mice were subjected to different visual stimuli is even more impressive. The researchers recorded dynamic spikes of electrical activity in the dendrites that had bursts and plateaus that were both unique in composition and in occurrence to the electrical activity of their associative axons.

This study demonstrates how dynamically our understanding of physiology is changing. It reminds us that there are still many aspects of this field yet to be understood, and the prospect of biomechanical research is extremely promising. Perhaps most importantly, it shows that our neurophysiology test could have been a lot worse.

Source: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature12600.html