Two research groups have taken unprecedented, high-resolution images of nerve cells inside the brains of live mice–and come to seemingly contradictory views. Resolving their conflict about the stability of cell projections called dendritic spines could illuminate how the adult brain adapts to experience and stores information, say neuroscientists.
TWIGGING OUT. This series of images from the brain of a live mouse provides evidence for a brief lifespan of many spines–the stubby bulges (distinguished by colored arrowheads) from nerve cell branches known as dendrites.
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