Researchers at the University of Berlin in Germany have discovered a “new signal” in the brain. The scientists published the results of a study in the renowned journal Science, revealing that the neurons of epilepsy patients transmit information using calcium, along with sodium. The same behavior was observed in normal people, resulting in the discovery that neurons function in more complex ways than previously thought.

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Scientists have discovered a signal (a new form of signal transmission) in the outer cortical cells of the brain of epileptic patients. The discovery shows that Signal transmission in the brain is not only due to the famous sodium-potassium pump. (which everyone learns in school). According to the results, calcium can also be used by the brain as a trigger for dendritic movement.

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The researchers called the find dCaAPs (calcium-mediated potential actions of dendrites). According to the study, “dCaAP allowed the dendrites of individual pyramidal neurons in the human neocortex to classify linearly inseparable inputs, a form of computation that would normally require a multilayer network to perform.” The same action was also found in normal human neurons.

A new level of sophistication shows that our brain works like a computer, acting on a network and adapting as needed. Interestingly, in contrast to the traditional action of neuron transmission (All or Nothing), dCaAP have a different action gradient. That is, stimulation of this model of neural transmission can occur with different intensities. The scientists note in their findings that “amplitude was maximum for threshold-level stimuli, but decreased for stronger stimuli.”

The scientific discovery is certainly interesting and shows how little we know about the functioning of our brain. If we find that the transmission of impulses through the dendrites can occur in other ways, this is a sign that there is still much to be learned about the human body.

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Source: BGR, Science.

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