Groundbreaking study finds human brain cells are more complex than those of any other mammal and more powerful than previously thought
The human brain contains close to 100 billion neurons, connected through an immense network. But groundbreaking new research suggests that part of what makes human intelligence unique may lie at a much smaller scale: within individual brain cells themselves.
A study led by Hebrew University researchers Professors Idan Segev and Mickey London, with Ph.D. students Ido Aizenbud and Daniela Yoeli at the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, and Professor Chris de Kock from the Free University Amsterdam, found that neurons in the human cortex are significantly more complex than those of other mammals.
The researchers showed that individual human neurons act as sophisticated computing devices capable of complex information processing, rather than simple on/off switches. The findings challenge the idea that brain power depends primarily on scale and suggest that the exceptional sophistication of human neurons may have played an important role in the evolution of human cognition.
Professor Segev commented: “People often think of a neuron as a simple switch that either turns on or off. What we show is that a single human neuron is itself an extraordinarily sophisticated computing device.”
The study has been published in the prestigious scientific review Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Read more:
- Human brain cells are far more powerful than scientists thought, Science Daily
- A single human neuron is far more powerful than scientists thought, Sci Tech Daily
- Hebrew University researchers reveal single human neurons act as sophisticated computers, Memesita
- The secret of human intelligence may lie in the power of a single brain cell, MSN
