The neurons in our brain communicate with each other through electrical signals, or brain waves, as they fire from one neuron to the next via synapses, allowing us to have thoughts and operate different subsystems throughout the brain.
This episode delves into the workings of neural networks and artificial neurons. The hosts explain how a neuron's active synapses can change the voltage in the cell, leading to firing or getting ready to fire based on proximal inputs.
The timing and quality of two types of deep sleep brain waves, slow waves and sleep spindles, help shift memories from a vulnerable short-term storage site to a more permanent long-term storage site in the brain, improving memory consolidation.
Researchers are building complex models of the brain, using detailed physical models of neurons and interconnecting them according to the statistics of connections found by neuroscience experiments. These models aim to understand the mechanisms underlying signal propagation and are being used to gain new insights into neuroscience.
The thalamic reticular nucleus plays a crucial role in directing specific categories of sensory information to the brain while suppressing others, as well as determining which thoughts are allowed to reach conscious perception.