Bernstein Network News. Find the latest news from our researchers regarding current research results, new research projects and initiatives as well as awards and prizes.
Artificial neurons organize themselves
Novel artificial neurons learn independently and are more strongly modeled on their biological counterparts. A research team in Göttingen has programmed these infomorphic neurons and constructed artificial neural networks from them. The special feature is that the individual artificial neurons learn in a self-organized way and draw the necessary information from their immediate environment in the network. The results were published in PNAS.
Deciphering the sequence of neuronal firing
How does the brain retain a sequence of events in memory? Researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), the University of Bonn, the University Hospital Tübingen and the University of Tübingen investigated this question. Using a unique measurement technique with implanted electrodes in the human brain, they were able to test a widely accepted theory of memory processes for the first time. The response pattern of the nerve cells did not align with the theory, but could be explained by a new model. The results have now been published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
Call for Nominations – Valentin Braitenberg Award
We are currently accepting nominations for this year's Valentin Braitenberg Award for Computational Neuroscience. The deadline for nominations is April 30, 2025.
Two brain areas in competition
The locus coeruleus and the ventral tegmental area vie for influence over the formation of memory content. This has been demonstrated by a team of neuroscientists using light-gated nerve cells.
Temperature during development influences connectivity between neurons and behavior in fruit flies
Researchers find more synapses and postsynaptic partners in the brain of Drosophila melanogaster correlating to lower environmental temperature during pupal development.
Neural network deciphers gravitational waves from merging neutron stars in a second
Binary neutron star mergers emit gravitational waves followed by light. To fully exploit these observations and avoid missing key signals, speed is crucial. In a study to be published in Nature on March 5, 2025, an interdisciplinary team of researchers presents a novel machine learning method that can analyze gravitational waves emitted by neutron star collisions almost instantaneously – even before the merger is fully observed. A neural network processes the data and enables a fast search for visible light and other electromagnetic signals emitted during the collisions. This new method could be instrumental in preparing the field for the next generation of observatories.
Insights into creativity: overarching ‘maps’ in our brain
Creative thinking uses specific patterns to store information
How our brain manages the perfect balancing act: Study conducted by Dresden university medicine provides new insights
The "Signatures of criticality in efficient coding networks" study provides new insights into the fundamental mechanisms of brain function. An international research team from Dresden, Tübingen, Paris and Shanghai developed a mathematical model to simulate a neural network that mimics the functioning of real brain cells. Unlike in previous studies, the network was not tuned directly towards a critical state, but optimized to process information as efficiently as possible – similar to our brain in everyday life.
Saving energy is “in”, even neurons are joining in
Bonn researchers clarify how energy regulates the spatial arrangement and quantity of molecules in nerve cells
Nerve cells have amazing strategies to save energy and still perform the most important of their tasks. Researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn as well as the University Medical Center Göttingen found that the neuronal energy conservation program determines the location and number of messenger RNA (mRNA) and proteins, and differs depending on the length, longevity and other properties of the respective molecule. The work has now been published in the journal "Nature Communications".
Psychologists reveal why we can’t tickle ourselves
Mathematical model shows how the brain processes sensory stimuli