Cholinergic Interneurons

Cholinergic Interneurons

Figure 1. The image on the left shows all neurons (the black dots) in the rat striatum, a part of the brain that is involved in higher-level decision-making. The image on the right shows just the cholinergic interneurons. There are far fewer black dots because cholinergic interneurons make up only 1 to 2 percent of the neurons in the striatum. It is these neurons that influence mental flexibility. (The large white spots are bundles of nerves.)

Date:
23 June 2015

Copyright OIST (Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 沖縄科学技術大学院大学). Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Download full-resolution image

Tags

Research
Share on:
x icon facebook icon linkedin icon mail icon

Related Images

Correlation between connectivity and distance of neurons in the human cortex

This diagram shows correlation between connectivity and distance of neurons in the human cortex. There are approximately 100,000 neurons in a square millimeter of cortex, as illustrated in the center box. The red gradation shows neuronal connectivity, with dark red indicating denser connectivity through synapses. While half of the synapses connect to neurons close to them, the other half connect with distant neurons, as so illustrated in the boxed area on the far left of this diagram. The differences in connectivity and distance between neurons require whole brain simulation in order to understand brain function.