Neurons communicate via synapses—tiny, button-like protrusions that sprout from one neuron and connect it to the next. These minuscule structures are thought to be the backbone of learning and memory, changing in strength and number as we learn. At about 1/5,000th the width of a human hair, synapses can be hard to visualize, and researchers are just beginning to develop the tools necessary to do so.
In a study published in Cell Reports on August 2, researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Shanghai University used a combination of deep learning algorithms and high-resolution electron microscopy to map out how frightful experiences rearrange brain connections. They found that when mice learn to fear the sound of a buzzer, neurons in their hippocampus form more connections with other neurons downstream and shuttle more mitochondria to synaptic sites. This change in neural connectivity increases the information storage capacity of the brain ...
