Dendrites, extensions of neurons serving as conductors of nerve impulses, would play a more important role than researchers thought so far. According to a study by a team of scientists from the American University of North Carolina, they act as neural mini-computers that actively process information, multiplying the computing power of the brain. This discovery could help researchers better understand the functioning of the neural circuits of our gray matter and, in general, neurological disorders.
In the study in question, published on October 27 by the scientific journal Nature, Dr. Spencer Smith, the main author of this work, explains that he attached electrodes in the form of microscopic glass pipettes filled with a physiological solution to the dendrites of the brain of a mouse. The goal was to analyze in real time the transmission process of electrical signals. After several years of research, Dr. Smith’s team realized how important dendrites are in brain function.
“All the data lead us to the same conclusion: dendrites are not passive integrators, but a true computing unit”, concludes Spencer Smith. His team also plans to explore the importance of the role played by dendrites in Timothy syndrome, a very rare genetic disease that affects the heart, hands, face and the development of the nervous system.
