'Mexican wave' effect key to brain function
18 Nov 2014
Scientists have discovered the mechanisms that enable inhibitory neurons to “persuade” other brain cells to imitate their vibrations.
According to a study carried out by scientists at Imperial College London (ICL) and the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, inhibitory brain cells have the ability to vibrate, and are equipped with mechanisms that enable them to persuade networks of other neurons into imitating their vibrations.
The researchers claim this sets off a ’Mexican wave’ effect in the brain.
“These [inhibitory] brain cells are similar to spectators in a football stadium, encouraging others into imitating them in a Mexican wave
ICL scientist Claudia Clopath
Claudia Clopath, study co-author from the Department of Bioengineering at ICL, said: “These [inhibitory] brain cells are similar to spectators in a football stadium, encouraging others into imitating them in a Mexican wave. We suspect that there is a very close relationship between the collective vibrations that they set off and many important cognitive functions.”
Though the ICL-led team claims the role of inhibitory neurons is still widely debated, the researchers have suggested that collective, oscillating vibrations play a key role in cognitive function, while also shedding new light on how inhibitory neurons use different communication processes to excitatory neurons, which share information via an internal pulsing mechanism.
According to Clopath, when the inhibitory neuron vibrations are degraded so that the wave is disrupted, “it may contribute to neurocognitive disorders such as dementia”.
“Our hope is that ultimately our research will lead to new insights into these disorders and how they can be treated,” Clopath said.
To conduct its research, the ICL-led team created a mathematical model depicting the two mechanisms that inhibitory neurons need in order to convince other neurons to join them in their ’Mexican wave’ vibrations.
The first is the mechanism that enables the inhibitory neurons to vibrate on their own, known as sub threshold resonance, the researchers said.
The second mechanism is a nanoscopic hole, known as a gap-junction, of which there are many on the surface of the inhibitory neuron and they allow neurons to communicate directly with one another, enabling inhibitory neurons to set off a collective vibration.
According to the researchers, the role of inhibitory neurons is far more important to brain function than previously thought.
The team now expects to carry out further research on inhibitory neurons to fully understand why vibrations are important for cognitive functions which it claims may lead to improved treatments for people with neurocognitive diseases.
A full account of the study has been published in the journal Nature Communications.
