As one of the most complex structures in the known universe , there is still quite a destiny we do n’t know about our brains . But it now seems that even what we thought we recognize can turn out to be wrong . Researchers have foundthat a region of the brain thought to mainly regulate our muscle may , in fact , be doing other things . In recent eld , there have been trace that this realm , call the cerebellum , perform other map . This subject area , bring out inNature , adds to that growing pool of data point .
The cerebellum is mostly made up of what are known as granule cells . This touch to a number of different types of neurons , with those that make up the cerebellum some of the small found in the total brainiac . For a long time , it had been assumedthat its main role was in motor ascendance , coordination , and preciseness , leaving things like witting awareness and planning to the cerebrum that makes up the rest of the brain .
But research worker at Stanford Universityhave foundthat the cerebellum granule cells seem to be involved in more than just celebrate our muscle ticking over . The scientist were actually investigating motor control in mice when they noticed that the granule cellular phone were firing when the gnawer previse a payoff . It now seems that there may be more to the “ little brain ” than antecedently thought .
The social system of the cerebellum has , in part , been why this area has not been studied as much as the cerebrum . While it may only calculate for around 10 percent of the volume of the learning ability , it contains up to 80 percent of the organ ’s nerve cell . This make the cerebellum incredibly dense tissue , and means that the usual technique used to probe the brain and its cell activity do n’t operate especially well .
“ pass on what a big fraction of neurons reside in the cerebellum , there ’s been relatively little progress made in integrating the cerebellum into the grownup movie of how the Einstein is solving tasks , and a large part of that disconnection has been this premiss that the cerebellum can only be necessitate in motor tasks , ” explain atomic number 27 - author Mark Wagner in astatement .
This discovery is a “ major release from the current discernment of these neurons , ” write the generator , and could reverse almost five decades of thought process . What precisely they are doing still remains elusive , but it is hoped that this late research could spur next studies to inquire in more detail what might be going on , particularly in humans .
“ I hope that this allows us to unite it with study of more popular brain regions like the cerebral cortex,”saysWagner .
