Neglected Neurons [last updated: December 27, 217]
Neglected Neurons : f ifty years after it was originally discovered, scientists at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research have elucidated the function of a microscopic network of tubules found in neurons. This structure modulates the strength of connections between two neurons, thereby contributing to our ability to learn and to adapt to new situations. image credit: science photo library For neurobiologist Thomas Oertner of the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, which is part of the Novartis Research Foundation, this was a eureka moment: “After years of intensive research, we’ve managed to ascribe an important function to a neglected structure in nerve cells.” Two-photon-microscopy of a neuron. In the current online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ("Differential distribution of endoplasmic reticulum controls metabotropic signaling and plasticity at hippocampal synapses"), Oertner’s group desc...