Brain Explorer: Find the brain cells working when we remember a familiar picture

Find the brain cells working when we remember a familiar picture

By measuring activity from specific cells, you identified cells at work when someone sees a new picture compared to one they’ve seen before!

Creating new memories and recalling old memories use different brain cells. By measuring activity from specific classes of cells, BRAIN Initiative scientists are learning which brain cells are working when we remember. This may help us understand why memory is affected by exercise, aging, and disease.

Image test used to test memory. Human brain images with measured brain regions identified. — Images courtesy of Rutishauser Lab

Reference

Faraut, et al. Dataset of human medial temporal lobe single neuron activity during declarative memory encoding and recognition. Scientific Data. Feb 13, 2018. DOI: 10.1038/sdata.2018.10

BRAIN Dictionary

Brain Cells

There are two major classes of brain cells - neurons and glia. Some are specific to sensory or motor systems, while others provide critical support to brain function. Within these classes of cells, there are hundreds of different types - each with message carrying abilities.