A neuron and many units?

1990/09/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Anatomia/Fisiologia

Is neuron the functional unit of the nervous system or can the parts of the neuron act as independent units? Neurobiologists have worked for 30 years to study the second possibility, especially through microelectrodes because the registry of Purkinje cerebellar neurons collected signs of significant changes in certain areas of the dendritic tree.

Today, expert neurobiologists have also discovered the spatial distribution of these changes using a calcium-colored indicator. It is an important discovery, as it means that independent activation of the parts of the neuron can be measured directly.

In the image you can see the high-resolution record of a Purkinje cell of the city's cerebellum. In it you can distinguish 3 dendritic zones: when you raise the calcium to the left below you can distinguish two signals; to the left only the second signal is detected up and to the right and in other areas no signal is detected.

In very complex bulls experts have been able to differentiate six different areas.

Although direct measurement of the functioning of independent areas in the dendritic tree is attractive to neurobiologists, these areas will become a problem for those who want to understand how behaviors are formed through the interaction of neurons.