Smart neurons: Single neuronal dendrites can perform computations
Sunday, October 27, 2013 - 18:30
in Biology & Nature
A direct patch-clamp recording from a dendrite of a pyramidal cell in mouse visual cortex in the intact brain. When you look at the hands of a clock or the streets on a map, your brain is effortlessly performing computations that tell you about the orientation of these objects. New research by UCL scientists has shown that these computations can be carried out by the microscopic branches of neurons known as dendrites, which are the receiving elements of neurons.