艾伦研究所的研究团队发现，位于脑干深处的蓝斑核拥有远比先前理解更复杂的通讯机制1。该研究表明，蓝斑核神经元能够通过特定的神经通路向大脑不同区域传递精准信号，而非简单地向全脑广播相同信息1。研究人员使用全脑成像技术研究了近35,000个神经元，并分析了近400,000个细胞的基因图谱1。
研究团队通过神经元映射发现了功能分化的两个蓝斑核亚群：背侧蓝斑核神经元主要连接大脑皮层和前脑，与学习相关；腹侧蓝斑核神经元主要向脑干和脊髓发送信号，与动物对环境的反应相关1。研究还表明，蓝斑核神经元的轴突具有异常长度——平均约35厘米，其中一条轴突重建长度达70.32厘米，是小鼠中测量的最长单个神经元之一1。艾伦研究所的Karel Svoboda表示，"脑的去甲肾上腺素系统更像一个有针对性的邮政网络，而不是喇叭"1。
这一发现刊登在《自然》杂志2026年刊上，研究获得美国国立卫生研究院脑研究高级创新神经技术倡议的支持1。科学家指出，这些发现可能为治疗抑郁症、焦虑症、注意力缺陷多动障碍和阿尔茨海默病等神经精神疾病提供新的治疗思路1。
Researchers at the Allen Institute have identified a far more intricate communication network within the locus coeruleus (LC), a region deep in the brainstem, than previously understood.1 Rather than broadcasting identical signals throughout the brain, this neural system transmits precise messages to different brain regions through specialized pathways.1
The study, published in Nature in 2026, employed whole-brain imaging to examine nearly 35,000 neurons and analyze genetic maps of approximately 400,000 cells.1 The research revealed that dorsal LC neurons connect primarily to the cerebral cortex and forebrain and are associated with learning, while ventral LC neurons send signals mainly to the brainstem and spinal cord and relate to an animal's environmental responses.1 The axons of LC neurons average about 35 centimeters in length, with one reconstructed axon measuring 70.32 centimeters, making it among the longest individual neurons measured in mice.1 According to Karel Svoboda, the brain's noradrenaline system functions more like "a targeted postal network, rather than a loudspeaker."1
These findings, supported by the U.S. National Institutes of Health's Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, may open new avenues for treating neuropsychiatric conditions including depression, anxiety, ADHD, and Alzheimer's disease.1
评论
还没有评论，欢迎留下第一条。