A mechanism from within could explain why very young brain cells seem to turn a deaf ear to one another.

• Position: Science Scene - Brief Article

A mechanism from within could explain why very young brain cells seem to turn a deaf ear to one another, contends cognitive scientist Guosong Liu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. The human brain has roughly 10 trillion nerve cells (neurons) that communicate with one another through synaptic connections. In the developing brains of young mammals, these neuronal messages often fail to get through. Liu says there is a functional...