Home
Deutsch
Advanced Search
Browse by ...
Publication overview
Contact persons
Help
DOI
PMC
 |
|
Open Access Green as soon as Postprint is submitted to ZB.
The dark matter of the brain.
Brain Struct. Funct. 224, 973–983 (2019)
The bulk of brain energy expenditure is allocated for maintenance of perpetual intrinsic activity of neurons and neural circuits. Long-term electrophysiological and neuroimaging studies in anesthetized and behaving animals show, however, that the great majority of nerve cells in the intact brain do not fire action potentials, i.e., are permanently silent. Herein, I review emerging data suggesting massive redundancy of nerve cells in mammalian nervous system, maintained in inhibited state at high energetic costs. Acquired in the course of evolution, these collections of dormant neurons and circuits evade routine functional undertakings, and hence, keep out of the reach of natural selection. Under penetrating stress and disease, however, they occasionally switch in active state and drive a variety of neuro-psychiatric symptoms and behavioral abnormalities. The increasing evidence for widespread occurrence of silent neurons warrants careful revision of functional models of the brain and entails unforeseen reserves for rehabilitation and plasticity.
Altmetric
Additional Metrics?
Edit extra informations
Login
Publication type
Article: Journal article
Document type
Review
Keywords
Silent Neurons ; Brain Evolution ; Fmri ; Synchronous Activity ; Schizophrenia ; Disinhibition ; Neuronal Plasticity; Odor Representations; Pyramidal Cells; Steady-state; Sparse; Inhibition; Neurons; Connectivity; Cortex; Schizophrenia; Construction
ISSN (print) / ISBN
1863-2653
e-ISSN
1863-2661
Journal
Brain Structure & Function
Quellenangaben
Volume: 224,
Issue: 3,
Pages: 973–983
Publisher
Springer
Publishing Place
Berlin ; Heidelberg
Non-patent literature
Publications
Reviewing status
Peer reviewed
Institute(s)
Institute of Biological and Medical Imaging (IBMI)