Uncovering New Neuronal Groups in Working Memory

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The chapter delves into the discovery of PAC neurons, a novel group of neurons responsible for controlling aspects of memory, distinct from maintenance neurons. It details the interaction between PAC neurons and the frontal lobe during working memory tasks, shedding light on how these mechanisms improve neural information processing.

In this episode:

00:46 Mysterious methane emission from a cool brown dwarf

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is revealing the makeup of brown dwarfs — strange space objects that blur the line between a planet and a star. And it appears that methane in the atmosphere of one of these objects, named W1935, is emitting infrared radiation. Where the energy comes from is a mystery however, researchers hypothesise that the glow could be caused by an aurora in the object’s atmosphere, perhaps driven by an as-yet unseen moon.

Research Article: Faherty et al.

10:44 Research Highlights

The discovery that bitter taste receptors may date back 450 million years, and the first planet outside the Solar System to boast a rainbow-like phenomenon called a ‘glory’.

Research Highlight: Bitter taste receptors are even older than scientists thought

Research Highlight: An exoplanet is wrapped in glory

13:07 How working memory works

Working memory is a fundamental process that allows us to temporarily store important information, such as the name of a person we’ve just met. However distractions can easily interrupt this process, leading to these memories vanishing. By looking at the brain activity of people doing working-memory tasks, a team have now confirmed that working memory requires two brain regions: one to hold a memory as long as you focus on it; and another to control its maintenance by helping you to not get distracted.

Research article: Daume et al.

News and Views: Coupled neural activity controls working memory in humans