( nes cells selectively choose to talk wi...)Neuroscientists discover new cell type that may help brain maintain memories of smells

Discovering how one brain cell talks with another brain cell remains one of the most important but technically challenging questions in neuroscience. The Case researchers faced two significant hurdles in trying to answer this question in the olfactory system. The first was the shear numbers of potential partner neurons each Blanes cell might have. The other hurdle relates to difficulty in visualizing the incredibly thin connection between the Blanes cell and its target neurons.

Todd Pressler, a doctoral candidate student in Strowbridge's lab and the lead author on the study, took advantage of a new type of imaging method called multiphoton microscopy to overcome these hurdles and to discover that Blanes cells talk to granule cells.

"The multiphoton microscope allowed me to identify the axon and then follow it for long distances without damaging the Blanes cell. Once I could follow the axon as it coursed through the brain, it was relatively easy to see where it ended and where I should look for potential target cells. Because I knew where to look, this part of the project was shortened from potentially years to just a matter of weeks", said Pressler.

The multiphoton microscope used in this study was built by Strowbridge specifically for these types of experiments and was funded by grants from the Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

Strowbridge and Pressler highlighted two distinct set of experiments they hope to pursue in the near future. The first relates to the possible connection between the sense of smell and Alzheimer's disease. The Case investigators found that the same biological machinery that helps the olfactory brain to remem
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Source:Case Western Reserve University