– You jump from one great discovery to the next, do your brains never take a vacation? – No, answers May-Britt Moser quite bluntly. Because there may not be much time for rest when the goal in your career is to understand how a human brain works. But if anyone has started to put these puzzle pieces in place, it is the Nobel Prize winners from NTNU and their team at the Kavli Institute. Because now they have done it again. A new brain discovery in mice that attracts international attention, and which is presented in one of the most recognized journals in their industry – namely Nature. – It is so wonderful and important. Not just for our centre, but for all those involved. Then we know it’s super quality, and that’s what our trademark is. – Again and again In the past, the Moser researchers have discovered, among other things, lattice cells. These are nerve cells that create a kind of mental map in our brain. They have also made a name for themselves by inventing a completely separate microscope, which is more or less described as a revolution in brain research. But what have they found this time? – We have found a very funny phenomenon. And it is that the cells that are active in a certain area of the brain follow a certain pattern. This pattern goes over and over and over again, says May-Britt Moser. May-Britt Moser, Soledad Gonzalo Cogno and Edvard Moser. They characterize the new find as something big and unique. Photo: Jøte Toftaker / news It’s about how our brain organizes events in order, explains Edvard Moser. – This is fundamental for us to remember. A completely fundamental brain code, and it is this that we are now on the track of. This is fundamental to understanding how our brain works. And part of that is about understanding how we make and preserve memories. Because memories consist of events over time, and the mechanism the researchers have now found sorts these events. Facts about May-Britt and Edvard Moser Photo: Geir Mogen / NTNU Shares the Nobel Prize in Medicine for 2014 with his American-British mentor John O’Keefe. Edvard Ingjald Moser and May-Britt Moser have doctorates from the University of Oslo and are professors at NTNU. Edvard Ingjald Moser was born on 27 April 1962 in Ålesund and May-Britt Moser on 4 January 1963 in Fosnavåg. The two researchers have made a particular contribution to the study of the hippocampus, a center in the brain with particular emphasis on memory and the ability for spatial orientation. The researchers have previously won a number of international awards for their research. (Source: NTNU, Wikipedia) (©NTB) – Unique Furthermore, Edvard Moser explains that this finding is something that must be understood in order to be able to understand Alzheimer’s disease again. The two renowned researchers have many people on the team. One of them is Soledad Gonzalo Cogno. She is the first author of the new study. – These are unique discoveries that open up a completely new field. This has only barely been researched in the past. Now it is possible because of new technology, says Cogno. Furthermore, the Argentinian researcher says that she feels privileged to be part of the environment at the Kavli Institute. It is the part of the brain called the medial entorhinal cortex that the researchers have studied. But how do they really know what to look for? What flashes in the upper left is the activity in the brain cells of an experimental mouse. The activity occurs in the medial entorhinal cortex. Here, almost 500 cells are monitored at the same time. And here everything happens in a specific order – again and again. Kavli Institute, NTNU Think they have a bit of luck – We don’t. But we have a sense of where we should start. It is a mixture of big plans and a bit of luck, says Edvard Moser. They probably never find exactly what they expect. – This mechanism came a bit unexpectedly. We didn’t really think that was how it was, but now it makes sense. You take a lot of risk, and sometimes it works out well. When he is asked to rank this discovery against others, he replies as follows: – It is big. But you never know for sure until a number of years have passed. But this is a new phenomenon that opens the door for more research that can provide answers to how the brain works.
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Has found how the brain organizes events in order – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
