The synapses in our brain connect about 10POWER12 neurons into one astonishing neural network. This neural network enables us to feel and express emotion, to sense the world around us, to walk and to procreate. Within the CNCR, the aim is to understand fundamental properties of neural networks and focus for instance on the development of networks, communication between neurons, and computation of neural networks.
Due to the concentration of expert technical knowledge within the CNCR, we can study neural networks at many different levels of which the autapse is probably the most reduced preparation. The autaptic neuron involves culturing individual and isolated neurons on a glial surface. Instead of contacting neighbouring neurons, neurons start innervating themselves and the autaptic preparation therefore allows the study and manipulation of the synaptic release machinery with unprecedented detail.
Furthermore, living brain slices are widely applied within the CNCR to study communication within cortical and hippocampal networks. This preparation is extremely suitable for studying the function of individual neurons within networks that consist of thousands of neurons. The slice preparation is also extremely suitable to study the effect of neuromodulators (nicotine for instance), to study changes in connection strength between neurons or morphological analysis of different types of neurons (in the context of development or neurological disorders). Finally, living brain slices are used for population imaging to study the activity and dynamics within neural networks using 2-photon microscopy.
In vivo electrophysiology is used to study neural networks in the context of attention, sensory processing or working memory. These experiments are conducted in either the anaesthetized or awake animal and obviously allow the study and function of neural networks during (natural) behaviour.
Within the CNCR, we also have expert knowledge on neural networks “in silico”, which means that we have collaborators on many neuroscience projects involved in computational modelling of neural networks. The interaction between experimentalists and computational modellers aims to come to new insights on neural networks that were impossible without the interdisciplinary interaction.
The study of neural networks within the CNCR has been very successful in recent years with international publications in peer reviewed journals such as Cell, Science, Nature, Nature Neuroscience, Nature Genetics, PNAS and Journal of Neuroscience.
