Neuroscientists discover specific brain cells that enable intelligent behavior

For decades, neuroscientists have developed mathematical frameworks to explain how brain activity drives behaviour in predictable, repetitive scenarios, such as while playing a game. These algorithms have not only described brain cell activity with remarkable precision but also helped develop artificial intelligence with superhuman achievements in specific tasks, such as playing Atari or Go.

Yet these frameworks fall short of capturing the essence of human and animal behaviour: our extraordinary ability to generalise, infer and adapt. Our study, published in Nature late last year, provides insights into how brain cells in mice enable this more complex, intelligent behaviour.

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Some cells tracked progress towards immediate subgoals – like chopping vegetables in our cooking analogy – while others mapped progress towards the overall goal, such as finishing the meal.
Together, these goal progress cells created a system that gave our location in behavioural space rather than a physical space. Crucially, the system is flexible and can be updated if the task changes. This encoding allows the brain to predict the upcoming sequence of actions without relying on simple associative memories.

The behaviour we compose to reach our goals is replete with repetition. Generalisation allows knowledge to extend beyond individual instances. Throughout life, we encounter a highly structured distribution of tasks. And each day we solve new problems by generalising from past experiences.

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A common calorie-free sweetener alters brain activity and appetite control, new research suggests

Consuming sucralose, a widely used non-caloric sweetener, may influence how the brain regulates hunger and body weight. A new study published in Nature Metabolism found that sucralose increases activity in the hypothalamus—a key brain region involved in appetite regulation—compared to caloric sugar (sucrose) and water. The findings suggest that even though sucralose lacks calories, it can trigger neural responses linked to increased hunger and alter the way the brain communicates with areas involved in motivation and sensory processing.

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Brain imaging also revealed that sucralose altered the functional connectivity between the hypothalamus and other brain regions. For example, after drinking sucralose, participants showed stronger connections between the hypothalamus and areas involved in motivation (like the anterior cingulate cortex) and body awareness (such as the parietal lobule). These changes suggest that sucralose may heighten the brain’s responsiveness to food cues or amplify motivational signals related to eating.

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https://www.psypost.org/a-common-calorie-free-sweetener-alters-brain-activity-and-appetite-control-new-research-suggests/

Cells Outside The Brain Show Signs Of Memory And "Learning" For The First Time

Think learning and memory are all the job of the brain? You might want to think again, if the results of a recent study are to be believed. In a first, scientists at New York University (NYU) uncovered evidence of a type of learning called the massed-space effect in cells from outside the brain, suggesting that it’s not so much about the type of cells, but rather just the fact that they are cells that matters.

“We find that other cells – not just brain cells, but other cells in the body – store patterns of information, and they can detect differences between surprisingly fine patterns,” Kukushkin told IFLScience.
“We used kidney cells and neuroblastoma cells, which are neuronal precursors but not neurons, and both of those cells work the same way. So, we believe that it’s not a property of either type of cell – it’s just a generic property of all cells.”

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▪️این واقعا عجیب و حیرت انگیز است؛ ناخودآگاه برام این رو تداعی کرد که در قرآن گفته شده اعضای بدن در مورد اعمال نیک و بدی که در دنیا انسان انجام می دهد، شهادت می‌دهند. اگر همه سلول ها حافظه داشته باشند این آیه قرآن خیلی درکش راحت می‌شود. خیلی انطباق با این کشف علمی داره. حتما بخونید؛ دقیق هم بخونید و تامل کنید. عجیبه عجیب!

تعدادی از آیه های مرتبط با این موضوع رو پیدا کردم آوردم اینجا.


▪️چنان‌که قرآن می‌فرماید: «الْیَوْمَ نَخْتِمُ عَلی اَفْواهِهِمْ وَ تُکَلِّمُنا اَیْدِیهِمْ وَ تَشْهَدُ اَرْجُلُهُمْ بِما کانُوا یَکْسِبُونَ»؛ «آن‌ها به پوست‌های خود گفتند چرا بر علیه ما شهادت دادید، پوست‌ها (در جواب) گفتند: آن خدایی که همه چیز را به سخن آورده، ما را نیز به سخن آورده است».

▪️«یَوْمَ تَجِدُ کُلُّ نَفْسٍ ما عَمِلَتْ مِنْ خَیْرٍ مُحْضَراً وَ ما عَمِلَتْ مِنْ سُوءٍ»؛ «روزی که هر کس آنچه را از کار نیک انجام داده، حاضر می‌بیند».

▪️«فَمَنْ یَعْمَلْ مِثْقالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَیْراً یَرَهُ• وَ مَنْ یَعْمَلْ مِثْقالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا یَرَهُ»؛ «هر کس به ‌اندازه سنگینی ذره‌ای کار خیر انجام داده، آن را می‌بیند و هر کس به ‌اندازه ذره‌ای کار بد کرده، آن را می‌بیند».

 ▪️ آیه ۶۵ سوره یس

«الْیَوْمَ نَخْتِمُ عَلی اَفْواهِهِمْ وَ تُکَلِّمُنا اَیْدِیهِمْ وَ تَشْهَدُ اَرْجُلُهُمْ بِما کانُوا یَکْسِبُونَ»؛ 
 «امروز به دهان آنها مهر می‌نهیم و دست‌هایشان با ما سخن می‌گوید و پاهایشان به کارهایی که انجام می‌دادند، شهادت می‌دهند».

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