Science 326, 1419–1424 (2009)

In the rodent hippocampus, groups of brain cells link up to each other via highly connected hub neurons. This may help to synchronize brain activity during development.

Rosa Cossart at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) in Marseilles and her colleagues imaged neuronal activity in brain slices from young rats and mice. By digitally reconstructing the connections between the neurons, the researchers identified a subset of inhibitory neurons that were highly connected to either nearby or more distant cells.

When stimulated, 8 out of 20 highly connected brain cells and 1 in 25 poorly connected ones seemed to be hub neurons, inducing sustained firing or rhythmic, synchronized activity across the cell network.