The complete connectome of the fruit fly brain has been mapped, revealing new insights into how the brain enables sophisticated behavior. The 166,000-neuron map, developed through Janelia Research Campus's pioneering efforts, has transformed scientific research and pioneered new technologies.
HHMI is launching five new competitions to support scientists across various career stages, including PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career faculty. The competitions will provide significant funding and support to help talented researchers advance their work and pursue ambitious ideas.
Scientists found that larger rewards can increase dopamine signals and lead to faster learning. Mice learned a task in one day with fewer large rewards compared to thousands of small ones. The study's findings have implications for neuroscience research and could lead to new discoveries on learning and cognition.
A team led by Jiefu Li developed a new method to examine proteins lining the inside surface of blood vessels, revealing two proteins and pathways that play a role in opening and closing the blood-brain barrier. This discovery could help scientists understand how the barrier functions and develop better ways to deliver medicines for neu...
Research by Amita Sehgal and her team reveals that sleep helps neurons stay healthy by removing oxidative damage through lipid transfer to glia cells. This process is crucial for maintaining neuronal function and may contribute to the development of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.
Researchers have captured the most detailed images yet of molecules inside synthetic chromatin condensates, allowing them to understand how these droplet-like structures form and function. The team found that linker DNA length affects structure arrangement, which in turn dictates interactions between chromatin fibers.
Researchers at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute used a new method to determine which animal evolved first, finding support for the sponge hypothesis. The study suggests that sponges are rooted at the base of the animal tree of life, contrary to previous theories suggesting comb jelly ancestors.
Scientists have discovered a method to induce the production of colanic acid, a compound found to promote longevity in animals, by exposing their gut microbiota to low doses of antibiotic cephaloridine. This approach shows promise for leveraging bacteria-targeting drugs to enhance lifespan.
Janelia researchers have uncovered a complex interplay between the ER and lysosomes, with Lunapark stabilizing ER junctions and lysosomes regulating nearby translation. This finely tuned partnership links nutrient sensing and stress signaling to protein biogenesis.
A study by Meng Wang and her team found that histone modifications can be transferred from parent to offspring through epigenetic changes, enabling the transfer of longevity markers across generations. This mechanism has implications for understanding transgenerational effects beyond longevity.
Researchers developed a simplified model to explain visual processing in the primary visual cortex, achieving 75% accuracy with fewer layers. The 'minimodels' for individual neurons are just as powerful as large models, providing an accurate and interpretable way to study visual computation.
Researchers discovered that exploring environments can encode visual features, speeding up learning when tasks arise. The study found that unsupervised learning occurs even without specific goals or tasks.
Astrocytes, once thought to be supporting cells, are active players in neuromodulation, controlling neuronal activity and behavior. The discovery of a biochemical circuit involving ATP and adenosine reveals a slower time scale for modulation compared to neural circuits.
Researchers have developed a new method that uses expansion microscopy to overcome the spatial resolution problem in mass spectrometry imaging. This allows scientists to detect hundreds of biomolecules at the single cell level in their native locations, enabling better understanding of their functions and interactions.
Researchers have developed a new way to map how individual connections between neurons change across the entire brain during learning. The method, DELTA, provides a brain-wide map of how individual synaptic proteins change over time, allowing scientists to understand how synaptic connections change and pinpoint areas of the brain impor...
A new technique called cycleHCR uses DNA barcodes to track hundreds of RNA and protein molecules in single cells within thick biological samples. This allows researchers to decipher how genes function in different parts of an organism, how they enable development, and how they might be altered in diseases.
A recent study by Janelia researchers found that the striatum and motor cortex collaborate to specify movement parameters, contradicting traditional theories. This discovery sheds light on the role of the striatum in motor control and could lead to better understanding of movement disorders like Parkinson's and Huntington's.
Larval zebrafish rapidly learn to recognize and avoid predator robots in a novel simulation system. The fish's brain utilizes multiple regions, including the noradrenergic system and forebrain, to encode and recall predator avoidance memories.
The new Cellpose3 tool enables easy recognition of cell boundaries in distorted images, restoring crisp images for accurate segmentation. This improvement allows users to segment individual cells with ease, even in conditions with noise, blurring, or undersampling.
Researchers tracked thousands of neurons as a mouse learned to navigate two virtual corridors, revealing distinct representations of each corridor. The study sheds light on cognitive map formation and may provide insight into memory disorders like Alzheimer's.
Researchers have created Rhobo6, a light microscopy probe that allows scientists to visualize the extracellular matrix in live tissues and animals without disrupting it. This breakthrough could lead to new insights into diseases linked to changes in the extracellular matrix and improve diagnostic imaging.
Researchers discovered that a network of subcellular structures similar to those responsible for muscle contraction are also present in brain cells. These structures, called contact sites, play a crucial role in transmitting calcium signals that regulate neuronal signaling. The study provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms ...
Researchers used super high-resolution 3D electron microscopy images to study primary cilia in mouse brain tissue, revealing new information about their organization and function. The findings provide insights into how cilia behave in their natural environment and could help scientists understand their role in disease.
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute has named 25 new Hanna Gray Fellows, investing up to $1.5 million in each scientist for eight years. This support enables them to pursue challenging questions at the forefront of their fields, driving progress in areas like cancer treatment and animal evolution.
Researchers have developed a new AI method that produces sharp microscopy images throughout a thick biological sample, count cells more accurately, and trace vessels in embryos. The technique doesn't require additional equipment beyond a standard microscope and is more accessible than traditional adaptive optics techniques.
Researchers have created a molecular flipbook to study the ultrafast movement of ribosomes inside cells. Using high-resolution template matching, they detected 41 different conformational states of ribosomes, providing new insights into protein synthesis.
Researchers used zebrafish to test ketamine's effects on depression, revealing that the drug suppresses 'giving up' behavior by overstimulating astroglia cells. This finding suggests a potential new approach for treating depression by targeting these non-neuronal cells.
Scientists have uncovered how aggression affects vision in female fruit flies, revealing three distinct mechanisms that regulate visual attention. This breakthrough provides insight into the link between sensory information and social behaviors, with potential implications for understanding and treating neuropsychiatric disorders.
Researchers have developed Rastermap, a visualization tool that enables scientists to uncover activity patterns in thousands of neurons. The tool sorts neuronal activity into clusters based on similarity and maps them onto a graphical representation, allowing for the identification of patterns that can be further tested in the lab.
Researchers have discovered that small networks of neurons in the fruit fly's brain can generate an accurate internal compass, contrary to previous assumptions. This finding expands our knowledge of what small networks can do and challenges traditional views on brain size and function.
Researchers have developed a new biosensor that can detect different physiological signals and brightly illuminate them in far-red light. The sensor, called WHaloCaMP, was created by Helen Farrants after she successfully re-developed an earlier version of the protein biosensors to carry out their original intention.
Using AI and the connectome, researchers can now predict individual neuron activity in living brains. The new model predicts neural activity in response to visual input and accurately reproduces over two dozen experimental studies.
Researchers have developed user-friendly tools to analyze spatial proteomics data, enabling biologists to understand how cells communicate with each other. The study sheds light on cellular mechanisms behind synaptic partner matching and immune system coordination, paving the way for new discoveries in biology.
A new study found that animals use a wide range of strategies to accomplish tasks, many of which are just as effective as the optimal solution but require less brain power. The research provides a theoretical framework for understanding these 'good enough' strategies and their potential applications in animal behavior.
A new atlas provides a detailed map of how cells and tissues age in roundworms, shedding light on the aging process and potential treatments. The study reveals unique aging features of different tissues and identifies key mechanisms underlying cellular aging.
Researchers at HHMI's Janelia Research Campus have adapted a phase diversity method from astronomy to microscopy, generating clearer images of thick biological samples. The new method is faster and cheaper to implement than current techniques, making adaptive optics more accessible to biologists.
Researchers have pinpointed the cellular machinery behind zebrafish's ability to rapidly change the color of their characteristic stripes from blue to yellow when distressed. By precisely altering the orientation of light-reflecting crystals, the fish can change the color of their stripes across the entire length of their body in seconds.
A new sensor has given unprecedented look at changes in cell's energy currency, allowing researchers to study fluctuations in ATP levels. This enables scientists to track how changes in ATP affect the cell and contribute to diseases like Parkinson’s.
A high school student, Michelle Du, helped develop a novel method to predict neurotransmitters from insect connectomes using neural networks. The method has been used in various neuroscience studies and provides valuable insights into brain circuit function.
Researchers found that nutrient-starved cells divert ER exit sites to lysosomes for degradation, using a novel pathway to free up amino acids. This process involves the recruitment of molecules to direct ER exit sites to lysosomes, where they are destroyed and their components recycled.
Researchers at Janelia Research Campus have released Kilosort4, an updated version of the popular spike-sorting software that requires less manual work and is more accurate. The new software improves processing and allows for easier use, making it indispensable for neuroscientists worldwide.
Scientists have pinpointed the group of neurons in the nerve cord that produce and pattern the fly's two major courtship songs. By analyzing neuronal activity and connectivity, researchers found a small number of critical neurons form a highly connected circuit generating the two main types of songs.
The Janelia Fluor dyes have become a staple in biology labs worldwide, and the team has now expanded their spectrum with a new set of far-red shifted dyes that can penetrate deeper into tissue. The researchers developed a novel chemistry to synthesize these dyes, enabling them to create dozens of functional versions relatively quickly.
A new study reveals that female fruit flies exhibit states of persistent aggression, similar to human anger, and identify cell types contributing to this behavior. The researchers found that a specific cell type, aIPg, can cause flies to remain angry for up to 10 minutes, but other factors may also be involved.
A new tool called Facemap uses deep neural networks to relate mouse facial movements to neural activity in the brain. This allows researchers to track and quantify movements and correlate them with brain activity, bringing them one step closer to understanding how the brain uses persistent, widespread signals.
Researchers at HHMI's Janelia Research Campus have discovered that rats can think about places and objects not in front of them, generating specific neural activity patterns in the hippocampus. This ability is fundamental to remembering past events and imagining future scenarios, indicating that animals possess a form of imagination.
Researchers studied fruit flies to understand how their brains assign value to rewards, finding that expectations play a crucial role in decision-making. By observing the flies' behavior, the team pinpointed the site in the brain where these value adjustments are made, enabling them to test a theoretical framework on neural circuits.
A cluster of neurons in the fruit fly brain transforms memories about past rewards into actions, guiding the fly's navigation. The UpWiNs also send signals to dopaminergic neurons for higher-order learning, shedding light on parallel neural circuit mechanisms.
A novel mitochondrial enzyme was identified as key to reproductive aging, increasing oocyte clustering with age and affecting fertility
Researchers propose a new mathematical neural network theory that consolidates memories to the neocortex if they improve generalization. This view contradicts the classical understanding of systems consolidation, which assumes all memories move from the hippocampus to the neocortex over time.