The brain can store nearly 10 times more data than previously thought, study confirms

The brain may be able to hold nearly 10 times more information than previously thought, a new study confirms.

By better understanding how synapses strengthen and weaken, and by how much, the scientists more precisely quantified how much information these connections can store. The analysis, published April 23 in the journal Neural Computation, demonstrates how this new method could not only increase our understanding of learning but also of aging and diseases that erode connections in the brain..

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.However, as we age or develop neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer's, our synapses become less active and thus weaken, reducing cognitive performance and our ability to store and retrieve memories.

To measure synaptic strength and plasticity, the team harnessed information theory, a mathematical way of understanding how information is transmitted through a system. This approach also enables scientists to quantify how much information can be transmitted across synapses, while also taking account of the"background noise" of the brain.

The team analyzed pairs of synapses from a rat hippocampus, a region of the brain that plays a major role in learning and memory formation. These synapse pairs were neighbors and they activated in response to the same type and amount of brain signals. The team determined that, given the same input, these pairs strengthened or weakened by exactly the same amount — suggesting the brain is highly precise when adjusting a given synapse's strength.

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