A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) suggests that individual human neurons can carry out far more complex computations than neurons in other mammals. The discovery offers a new perspective on what may make the human brain so unusual.
How does the human brain produce abilities such as language, imagination, mathematics, and invention?
For decades, scientists have largely looked to size and connectivity for the answer. The human brain contains close to 100 billion neurons, linked through an enormous web of connections. New research, however, indicates that another important part of the explanation may be found at a much smaller level, in the remarkable processing capabilities of individual brain cells.
Human Neurons Are Powerful Information Processors
Researchers found that neurons in the human cortex function as significantly more complex information processing units ("microchips") than comparable cells in other mammals. The results raise the possibility that the individual building blocks of the human cortex are unusually powerful, which could help explain how humans developed exceptional cognitive abilities.
