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Researchers Identify Molecular 'Switch' That Can Alter Brain Cells

The brain is not like a computer after all, in that its “hardware” can be tuned depending on activities occurring in the neural network, according to researchers.
(Photo : Allan Ajifo | Flickr)

According to researchers, a molecule exists in the brain capable of functioning as a switch that can control the properties of neurons depending on activity in the neural network.
In a study published in the journal Science, researchers suggest that it's possible to "tune" hardware in the brain, offering implications beyond traditional neuroscience. Computers are commonly used to describe the brain, with microprocessors and logic boards representing neurons and neural circuits, but the study has just shown that the comparison is no longer accurate because the brain's "hardware" features programmable mechanisms not present in computers.
Oscar Marin and colleagues discovered that certain neurons within the cerebral cortex are capable of adapting properties based on changes in activities in the neural network. However, they later on realized that what they thought were two different classes of fast-spiking interneurons were actually just one with the ability to switch between two differing ground states. The researchers were also able to identify the "switch" that made the switching possible: a protein that influences gene expression called Er81.
Fast-spiking interneurons belong to a general class of neurons primarily tasked with regulating activity in principal cerebral cortex cells called pyramidal cells. According to the researchers, the results of their study explain underlying mechanisms responsible for dynamically regulating the roles interneurons play. Their findings also supports the idea that activity affects the properties of neurons, which can be adapted depending on external and internal influences for encoding information.
"Our study demonstrates the tremendous plasticity of the brain, and how this relates to fundamental processes," said Marin.
The researchers pointed out that understanding how dynamic brain mechanisms lead to certain functions by developing and continuously remodeling neural circuits and the limitations aging and disease brings to these mechanisms can have important implications for developing new treatments for neurological disorders and facilitating education policies.
The study received funding support from the EMBO postdoctoral fellowship, the Wellcome Trust, the European Research Council and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. Other researchers include: Isabel del Pino, Lynette Lim, Giorgia Bartolini, Gabriele Ciceri and Nathalie Dehorter. They are affiliated with the MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology at King's College London and the Instituto de Neurosciences at Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and Universidad Miguel Hernández.

Music, arguably the most powerful form of communication achieved by humanity. No combination of words can describe the effect that a setting with the perfect musical accompaniment can have on an individual. Music has the ability to affect our emotions and our psychology; it can spark motivation, assuage loneliness, excite the calm, and calm the excited. How is it that this mysterious, intangible form of art allows our thoughts, emotions, and state of mind to be so powerfully influenced?

Emotions influenced by music are just as physiologically calculable as emotions experienced under any other circumstance. This means that music, with the proper conditions, can be used as a sort of tool to help guide a person's emotional disposition to a calmed, tranquil state during a time of dejection or apprehension. Published in the Lancet Journal, Dr. Catherine Meads and her team of researchers at Brunel University confirmed that listening to music before, during, and after surgery helps with pre-op jitters, muscle resilience, and the outlook and recovery of the patient. After the comparative review of about 7,000 patient reports, the team found that those who had music playing in the operating theater demonstrated a significant reduction in postoperative pain, anxiety, and the need for pain relief medication. "Music is a non-invasive, safe, cheap intervention that should be available to everyone undergoing surgery," said Meads. 

The physiological applications of music do not end in the operating room. It has been found that the simple act of singing a tune brings about a sense of elation from the mixture of endorphins and hormones released in the body while singing, similar to the effects of the meditative 'om'. Oxytocin, a hormone that is released while singing, is known to alleviate anxiety and stress. It is also associated with the senses of trust and bonding, which may explain the euphoric connectivity experienced while singing in the presence of others. 

 2005 study at the University of Sheffield explored the effects of singing with a group and reported that it "can produce satisfying and therapeutic sensations even when the sound produced by the vocal instrument is ofmediocre quality." One does not need to be a great singer to reap the rewards. As it turns out, the benefits of singing regularly are cumulative. Singers have been found to have lower than average cortisol levels, which directly correlates to low stress. 

One study investigates musical structure's ability to determine heart rate variability. The findings suggest that the heart rates of a group of singers can sync up to produce a sort of guided group meditation, the result of which can be quite profound. There is another study being conducted by Dr. Julene K. Johnson that may find group singing to be an affordable and effective method of improving the health and well-being of older adults.

Singing for your health doesn't require a ton of rehearsal or preparation, a little vocal warm-up and you are good to go. It can be done by yourself any time you deem appropriate, casually with a gathering of friends or colleagues, or perhaps formally with a local choir. Music is more than just an enjoyable commodity, the stress relieving benefits make music an essential tool for surviving the stresses of life.