Brain cells with the same “birthdate” are more likely to wire together into cooperative signaling circuits that carry out many functions, including the storage of memories, a new study finds.

Led by researchers from NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the new study on the brains of mice developing in the womb found that brain cells (neurons) with the same birthdate showed distinct connectivity and activity throughout the animals’ adult lives, whether they were asleep or awake. [1]

Figure 1. Brain Neurons Born Together Wire and Fire Together for Life

Figure 1 shows the researchers suggest that instead of trying to create each new memory from scratch, the brain could use the incremental formation of neural layers to create neural templates, such as “Lego pieces” that map each new experience to an existing template as it is remembered.

These circuit assembly rules suggest that cells born together are more likely to code memories together and glitches together, potentially having a bearing on the date of birth of neurons in diseases such as autism and Alzheimer’s, the authors say. By changing the number of cells born on different days, the developing brain may be more vulnerable on certain days of pregnancy to viral infections, toxins, or alcohol. [2]

The current study's innovation rests on tracking the activity of neurons of a given birthdate into adulthood. To accomplish this, the researchers relied on a technique that allowed them to transfer DNA into cells that were undergoing division into neurons in the womb. The DNA expressed markers that tagged brain cells that were born on same day, akin to a barcode. This labeling method then enabled the researchers to study these neurons in the adult animal. [3]

“Our results show that neurons born on the same day become part of the same cooperating assemblies, and participate in the same sharp wave-ripples and represent the same memories,” says first author Roman Huszár, a graduate student in Buzsáki’s lab. “These relationships, and the pre-set templates they encode, have a key implication for hippocampal function: the storage of a memory about a place or event.” [4]

References:

1. https://neurosciencenews.com/neural-wiring-21280/
2. https://newsachieve.com/2022/08/23/brains-cells-born-together-wire-and-fire-together-for-life/
3. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/08/220822130226.htm
4. https://scitechdaily.com/brain-neurons-born-together-wire-and-fire-together-for-life/

Cite this article:

Thanusri swetha J (2022), Brain Neurons Born Together Wire and Fire Together for Life, Anatechmaz, pp.190