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Neuroscience

Each synapse to its own

Nature volume 464, pages 1290–1291 (2010)Cite this article

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A neuron can receive thousands of inputs that, together, tell it when to fire. New techniques can image the activity of many inputs, and shed light on how single neurons perform computations in response.

Synaptic communication between neurons is fundamental to how the brain processes and transforms information. Uncovering the neural circuitry has therefore been a major endeavour for neuroscientists, to understand the neural basis of perception and action. In this issue (page 1307), Jia et al.1 present one of the most detailed views of synaptic integration within the brain so far, addressing a classic and vigorously debated question in sensory system physiology: how do neurons in the primary visual cortex acquire orientation selectivity?

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Figure 1: Synapses of an orientation-selective neuron.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nicholas J. Priebe is in the Section of Neurobiology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA.,

    Nicholas J. Priebe

  2. David Ferster is in the Department of Neurobiology and Physiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA. ferster@northwestern.edu,

    David Ferster

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  1. Nicholas J. Priebe
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  2. David Ferster
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Priebe, N., Ferster, D. Each synapse to its own. Nature 464, 1290–1291 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/4641290b

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