Study explains how output of single neurons can predict
behavior on perceptual tests
(July 15, 2015) — By analyzing the signals of individual
neurons in animals undergoing behavioral tests, neuroscientists at Rice
University, Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Geneva and the
University of Rochester have deciphered the code the brain uses to make the
most of its inherently “noisy” neuronal circuits.
The human brain contains about 100 billion neurons, and each
of these sends signals to thousands of other neurons each second. Understanding
how neurons work, both individually and collectively, is important to better
understand how humans think, as well as to treat neurological and psychiatric
disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, autism, epilepsy,
schizophrenia, depression, traumatic brain injury and paralysis.
“If the brain could always count on receiving the same
sensory response to the same stimulus, it would have an easier time,” said
neuroscientist Xaq Pitkow, lead author of a new study this week in Neuron. “But
noise is always there in the brain: studies have repeatedly shown that neurons
give a variety of responses to the same stimulus.”