Neurons are very good at what they do, picking out signals from a flood of information with more finesse than anyone ever realized, new research shows. The findings, published in the journal PLoS Computational Biology, add to the basic knowledge of how neurons work and could lead to better ways to design brain implants used to treat neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s disease. Researchers examined neuronal excitation using mathematical models and experiments using the squid giant axon—a long arm of a nerve cell that controls part of the water jet propulsion system in squid.
