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Stanford scientists have developed a system for observing real-time brain activity in a live mouseQuicklink submitted by Kyle McDermott Permalink |
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 As the mouse explores the arena, neurons in its brain flash green when it recognizes a familiar spot. by Courtesy of Mark Schnitzer |
Mini microscopes embedded into the brains of genetically engineered mice are providing researchers a window onto the inner workings of the mammalian mind. The tool provides an unprecedentedly wide field of view on the mouse brain -- in one mouse, for example, the team recorded the firing of more than 1,000 individual neurons -- and it can record for weeks on end, allowing scientists to study how brain activity evolves over time. To the untrained eye, the firing neurons appear chaotic and random, but the researchers discerned a clear pattern. Specific neurons fire in association with specific areas in the enclosure. 'The individual neurons seem to have preferences regarding the mouse's location in space,' Schnitzer explained. 'This neuron might fire when the mouse is over here and that neuron might fire when the mouse is over there.' |
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Scientists Read a Mouse's Mind
by Kyle McDermott on Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 at 8:19:59 PM