Researchers report that a set of brain cells linked to spatial disorientation in Alzheimer’s disease has been preserved across millions of years of evolution. These cells live in the retrosplenial cortex, a brain region that helps animals and people know where they are and how to travel between familiar places. Charles Darwin called the ability to navigate without external cues "dead reckoning." Omar Ahmed said the retrosplenial cortex works as a subconscious GPS for the brain.
Ahmed’s team first found a unique neuron type in mice. In the new study, Isla Brooks and colleagues used AI tools to compare genetic signatures of neurons from mice and rats. They found a second specialized neuron type in the same area. Both types exist in both species, and one is a bit amplified in the rat. The lab is now studying whether the same neurons are in humans and how they change in Alzheimer’s disease.
Difficult words
- spatial disorientation — difficulty knowing where you are in space
- retrosplenial cortex — brain region that helps with place and movement
- neuron — a nerve cell that sends signals in brainneurons
- genetic signature — specific pattern of genes in a cellgenetic signatures
- AI tool — computer program that learns from dataAI tools
- preserve — keep something in the same condition over timepreserved
- subconscious — mental process below conscious awareness
- navigate — move or find a way between places
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Discussion questions
- Have you ever been lost in a familiar place? What did you do?
- Why do you think researchers compare mice and rats before studying humans?
- How could finding these neurons in humans help people with memory or navigation problems?
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