Mouse Study Identifies a Brand New Type of Neuron Involved in Important Memories

With so many different types of cells in our brains, we're still trying to understand how they work. A team of neuroscientists has found a new neuron flavor in mice.

The hippocampus is a part of the brain that is involved in learning and remembering. The researchers named this type of neuron after it.

The sharp wave ripples information across the brain and signal a memory event.

The waves created in the hippocampus are thought to be how our brain conveys a major event in memory, like your first kiss. They look like high-frequency electrical spikes of brain waves.

(Szabo et al., Neuron, 2022)

These types of spikes appear to be synchronized with Toro activity.

Gergely Szabo and colleagues used electrophysiology techniques to map the circuit of brain cells. The CA3 section of the hippocampus is well-known for its role in memory.

According to Capogna, the taros themselves are in fact inhibitory neurons that release the neurotransmitter GABA.

The calming effect of gia is due to the fact that it slows down brain activity. When the brain is generating theta waves from lots of brain activity, most GABA-releasing cells do so TOROs release this chemical during resting states.

There is a new type of neuron that is active when the animal is awake or sleepy. When there is a slow, synchronized neuronal population activity called 'theta' that can occur when an animal is awake and moving or when we usually dream, the neuron is not active at all.

TOROs don't just act in the local area. They project their output from the hippocampus to other parts of the brain, such as the septum and the cortex.

The rest of the brain is being sent a signal to know what's happening in the hippocampus.

While brain studies in mice don't always translate to humans, a new type of neuron with a big regulatory role is likely to have been found across species.

More research is needed to understand its role in our brains and how it may contribute to memory diseases.

The findings show that TORO cells play a large role in memory processing and may be regulating memory.

The research was published in a journal.