(December 5, 2015) New
technique could yield knowledge useful to understanding the human brain.
Northwestern University neuroscientists now can read the
mind of a fly. They have developed a clever new tool that lights up active
conversations between neurons during a behavior or sensory experience, such as
smelling a banana. Mapping the pattern of individual neural connections could
provide insights into the computational processes that underlie the workings of
the human brain.
In a study focused on three of the fruit fly’s sensory
systems, the researchers used fluorescent molecules of different colors to tag
neurons in the brain to see which connections were active during a sensory
experience that happened hours earlier.
Synapses are points of communication where neurons exchange
information. The fluorescent labeling technique is the first to allow
scientists to identify individual synapses that are active during a complex
behavior, such as avoiding heat. Better yet, the fluorescent signal persists for
hours after the communication event, allowing researchers to study the brain’s
activity after the fact, under a microscope.
“Much of the brain’s computation happens at the level of
synapses, where neurons are talking to each other,” said Marco Gallio, who led
the study. “Our technique gives us a window of opportunity to see which
synapses were engaged in communication during a particular behavior or sensory
experience. It is a unique retrospective label.”