脳の発見により人間と他の種の間の普遍的なパターンが明らかに

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The brain continues to be a fascinating organ that keeps neuroscientists on their toes. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have made a pioneering discovery about the brain's cortex, the outer layer responsible for complex functions such as thinking , memory, and emotion. The research team identified distinct patterns of electrical activity within the six layers of the cortex. This finding applies to different brain regions and several animal species, including humans.

The layered structure of the cortex, which can be seen under a microscope, has long fascinated scientists. Now, researchers have shown for the first time that these layers exhibit unique patterns of electrical vibrations.

Central to this study is the observation that neural activity in the upper layers of the cortex is dominated by fast gamma waves, whereas deeper layers are characterized by alpha slower and beta waves. This consistency across different species and brain regions suggests that these waves play an important role in brain function.

"If you see something that is consistent and ubiquitous throughout the cortex, it means that it plays a very fundamental role in how the cortex works," said lead author of the study and Picower Professor of Neuroscience. Earl Miller, a member of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, said: University release . 

 The study also touches on the potential link between imbalances in these oscillations and brain disorders such as epilepsy and ADHD, which can lead to synchronous It's likened to an orchestra, where a single missing instrument can disrupt the entire performance. To conduct the study, neuroscientists analyzed data from a variety of sources, including human patients undergoing surgical procedures, using advanced electrodes that simultaneously record activity in all cortical layers.


This data was processed with a new computational algorithm called FLIP (Frequency-Based Layer Identification Procedure), which allowed us to precisely map which layer each signal originated from. This large-scale analysis revealed a consistent pattern of laminar activity across all species and cortical regions investigated, highlighting the fundamental nature of this mechanism within the cortex. 


"We did a big analysis of all the data to see if we found the same pattern in all areas of the cortex, and lo and behold, it was everywhere," said study lead author and author of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology study. says scientist Diego Mendoza Halliday. "This showed that what had previously been observed in a few areas represents a fundamental mechanism throughout the cortex.  "The researchers found that the spatial organization of these oscillations It helps the brain integrate new sensory information with existing memories and processes , and we propose that this is an important balance for cognitive function. Imbalances in these vibrations can cause a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders, providing new avenues for diagnosis and treatment. "As we observed,


 

 the result of the layered separation of these frequencies is that superficial layers may be able to represent external sensory information at faster frequencies, while deeper layers may be able to represent internal cognitive states at slower frequencies. ,”explains study lead author Andre Bastos, assistant professor of psychology at Vanderbilt University. "The broad implication is that the cortex has multiple mechanisms,  including both anatomical and vibrational structures, for separating 'external' and 'internal' information. " Looking ahead, the team aims to further investigate These oscillatory patterns across different brain regions. “ Our hope is that once there is enough standardized reporting, we will start to see common information. "It could reveal a common computational mechanism that can be used for things like attention," Mendoza-Halliday said.