neuron

With almost 90 billion neurons in our brains, it's no wonder we're still piecing together much about how these various types of cells do their work. A team of neuroscientists has now identified another neuron flavor in mice, and its place in the complex circuitry of mammalian brains.  These cells are located in the hippocampus – part of the brain heavily involved in learning and memory. The researchers have named this type of neuron Theta-Off Ripple-On (TORO) after its activity pattern."TORO-neurons propagate the sharp…

Arkenlight and Axorus have teamed up to prototype the first artificial neuron powered by a diamond betavoltaic battery made from nuclear waste. The goal is to develop medical-grade implants with energy sources that will last decades without charging.We've covered Arkenlight's diamond-based betavoltaic battery technology in detail before. In brief, this company was formed by researchers at the University of Bristol who developed a means for taking bits of radioactive waste from nuclear power stations – specifically,…

The human brain is a complex system. It goes to places no one else could and handles multiple tasks that could be difficult for other artificial systems. Due to these functions, human brain has long intrigued scientists who have conducted several studies to understand it. Yet, it is unpredictable. But there's something else that is remarkable about the human brain — it is incredibly energy-efficient. Scientists are trying to understand it and draw inspiration to make future computer technologies. The experts are focussing…

A new study has revealed an important way in which sleep helps the brain process emotions for the next day, and while the findings were discovered in mice, they could also help us solve some of the mysteries of human sleep.    The role of sleep in brain function is still very much an enigma, but there is overwhelming evidence that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep helps humans consolidate their emotional memories.But how that actually plays out in the brain is something scientists are still investigating.The prefrontal…