In the brain there is a universal element that is common to all species: the principle that regulates the most important and strongest connections between neurons, the so-called 'backbone' of the circuits that allow organisms to think, learn, communicate and move, it seems to be the same for everyone.
This was discovered by a study published in the journal Nature Physics and led by the City University of New York, which could provide an important starting point for better understanding how the brain is organized and how it works in humans too.
Across species, brain function relies on an intricate network of connections that allow neurons to exchange information.
But within these networks, a small number of neurons share much stronger connections than the others.
“To understand this phenomenon we can make a comparison with our social network,” explains Christopher Lynn, who led the study: “Some bonds, such as those with our best friends and family, are much stronger than others and they therefore play a more important role within the network.
Until recently – says Lynn – we had no way of identifying the mechanism by which these rare connections form, but the latest advances now allow us to take a look.”
The researchers analyzed a large amount of freely accessible data on the neural structures of fruit flies, mice and two species of worms, comparing them for similarities and differences.
They thus discovered that the basic organization derives from general principles common to all species: the neurons that usually activate simultaneously tend to form tighter connections between them, even if chance, which balances the excessive growth, also plays an important role of these strong bonds.
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