It has become the first to observe the birth of memories in living animals in a fraction of a second, in structures 100 times thinner than a human hair.
The joint research of the Zuckerman Institute at Columbia University in New York, the BrainVisionCenter and the Hun-Ren Institute for Experimental Medicine has produced a revolutionary result: using a 3D laser scanning microscope developed in Hungary, the researchers were able to observe the “birth” of memories in living animals in a fraction of a second, in structures 100 times thinner than a human hair. The study has been published in the prestigious journal Nature.
Recall of memories is based on changes in the strength of connections between brain cells, known as synapses. Although this theory has been known for almost 50 years, until now scientists have not been able to observe these synaptic changes directly in a living rodent model.
In recent years, advances in microscopy technology have allowed researchers to study the activity of brain cells in living, behaving animals in real-time.
“To identify precise genetic and molecular targets and future therapies, we need a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of memory fixation and formation,” said Hungarian scientist Attila Losonczy, a senior researcher at Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute.
A therapeutic and diagnostic mission based on exploring these mechanisms is planned to be carried out in part at the BrainVisionCenter, a collaboration partner founded by Balázs Rózsa and Botond Roska.
The hippocampus is one of the most studied areas of the brain, but research in recent decades has relied mainly on EEG scans and brain slice preparations.
These methods, although necessary, offer limited possibilities as they do not allow real-time and high-resolution studies of brain processes in living animals. Real-time observation of neural networks is essential for a deeper understanding of brain function, which requires technologies that can quickly and accurately scan cells and synapses in large-volume samples.
The researchers’ work is a significant breakthrough. They aimed to develop a methodology to measure the long-term synaptic plasticity (changes in synapse strength) of neurons responsible for learning and memory, which can last for hours or days in real-time in live rodent models.
A critical role in achieving this breakthrough was played by unique two-photon laser scanning microscope technology developed with the help of the research team led by Rózsa of Hun-Ren Koki and applied at the BrainVisionCenter. The system, equipped with 3D real-time image stabilization, can compensate for the continuous movement of the brain, allowing the study of its tiny elementary components, cells and cell extensions.
The device can monitor all the activity in structures a hundredth of the thickness of a human hair and is fast enough to capture changes in synapse strength that occur in hundreds of seconds. Used in conjunction with so-called voltage sensors, the microscope system has achieved what previously seemed impossible: measuring voltage signals at the level of a single synapse in the brain of a living, behaving animal. The application of the technology promises much.
This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of January 10, 2025.
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