New Brain Circuit Discovered: How the Brain Prioritizes Information
Researchers at NYU Langone Health have identified a previously unknown brain circuit that plays a crucial role in distinguishing familiar from novel stimuli and determining their importance. This circuit,detailed in a February 18,2025,online publication in Nature Neuroscience,integrates sensory data,memories,and emotions to rapidly assess the significance of incoming sensory information.
The study focuses on the interplay between the entorhinal cortex (EC), a brain region processing sensory information, and the hippocampus (HC), the memory processing center. While a previously known indirect pathway exists between these regions, the researchers discovered a previously unrecognized direct feedback loop from the HC to the EC.
“Ours is the frist anatomical and functional analysis of both the new direct hippocampal-cortical feedback loop, and the indirect loop found decades ago,” explained Jayeeta Basu, PhD, senior study author and assistant professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Basu,also a faculty member at the Institute for Translational Neuroscience at NYU Langone Health and recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers,added,The differences we found in their wiring,timing,and location suggest that the loops have separate but parallel roles that let them work together to encode even more complex information.
The long-held understanding of this circuit involved the HC receiving sensory information from EC layers 2 and 3, but sending feedback signals indirectly through a deep EC layer (layer 5). This indirect route introduced time lags that could alter the feedback signals. However, the new research reveals a direct connection between the HC and EC layers 2 and 3, enabling rapid integration of memories and emotions with perceived sights and sounds.
this direct pathway addresses a long-standing paradox: the lack of a known direct pathway between the HC and the amygdala, the brain’s emotional center. The newly discovered connection to the EC may serve as a crucial crossroads for this interaction.
The study employed advanced techniques to map connections between brain cells based on their ability to manage charged particles. The researchers measured these properties in both the direct and indirect loops for the first time. They found the indirect loop to be excitatory, triggering all-or-nothing signals called action potentials.In contrast, the new direct feedback loop, even with similar incoming signals, recruited strong inhibition in EC layers 2 and 3, never eliciting action potentials. Rather, it sent small depolarizing potentials, suggesting a more nuanced role in information processing.
These delicate, repeated signals can combine with messages from other brain regions to make possible more intricate computations, accelerated learning, and greater plasticity, the strengthening of connections between neurons,
the authors explain. This finding has vital implications for understanding learning, memory consolidation, and possibly, neurological disorders.
future research will explore how this hippocampal output influences decision-making in the prefrontal cortex and fear processing in the amygdala. The team also plans to investigate changes in this direct circuit during aging and in Alzheimer’s disease, both in mice and humans.
the study involved a large team of researchers from NYU Langone’s Institute for Translational Neuroscience, including first author Tanvi Butola, as well as Melissa Hernandez Frausto, Lulu Peng, Ariel Hairston, Cara Johnson, Margot Elmaleh, Amanda Amilcar, and Fabliha Hussain. Collaborators included Cliff kentros and his team (Stefan Blankvoort and Michael Flatset) from the Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and Claudia Clopath from Imperial College London.The research was supported by numerous grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Alzheimer’s Association, and other organizations.
Unraveling the Mysteries of the Mind: How a New Brain Circuit Prioritizes Information
World Today News sits down with Dr. Emily Foster, a leading neuroscientist at the University of Brain Science, to delve into the groundbreaking finding of a new brain circuit that is revolutionizing our understanding of how the brain prioritizes information.This research,spearheaded by NYU Langone Health,sheds light on the intricate dance between memory,sensation,and emotion in the human brain.
Senior Editor: Dr. Foster, recent findings have unveiled a captivating new brain circuit. Could you explain how this discovery shifts our understanding of how the brain distinguishes between familiar and novel stimuli?
Dr. Emily Foster: Absolutely. This revelation is monumental because it introduces a previously unknown direct feedback loop from the hippocampus to the entorhinal cortex. Historically, we understood that sensory information from the entorhinal cortex traveled to the hippocampus, but feedback signals were thought to be indirect, traveling thru additional pathways. This new direct pathway allows for instantaneous integration of memories and emotions with sensory data in real-time. By understanding this, we can begin to appreciate how the brain rapidly assesses and prioritizes incoming sensory information, enhancing our survival and learning capabilities.
Senior Editor: The study mentions that this new direct feedback loop has distinct “wiring, timing, and location.” Could you elaborate on the importance of these differences?
Dr. Emily Foster: These differences are crucial for understanding the nuanced roles of the two circuits.The indirect loop is excitatory, producing action potentials that are rather binary in nature—they either activate or don’t. On the other hand, the direct loop modulates more subtle depolarizing potentials through strong inhibition in the entorhinal cortex layers 2 and 3. This inhibitory mechanism allows for more intricate and nuanced computations. Essentially, it equips the brain with a more refined way to process and encode complex information, leading to accelerated learning and enhanced neural plasticity.
Senior editor: How might this discovery affect future research or clinical applications, particularly in understanding neurological disorders?
Dr. Emily Foster: This discovery opens up numerous avenues for research and potential clinical applications. As an example, understanding how these circuits function could lead to breakthroughs in treating neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, where memory and sensory processing are compromised. By investigating changes in this direct loop during aging or disease progression, researchers could identify new biomarkers or therapeutic targets. Additionally, exploring its role in decision-making and emotional processing may lead to novel interventions for anxiety, depression, or PTSD.
Senior Editor: Dr. Foster, can you provide some real-world examples or ancient context that might help readers grasp the magnitude of this discovery?
Dr. Emily foster: Certainly. Think of how a seasoned musician or athlete can immediately sense and react to changes in their surroundings—this is thanks to their brain’s ability to prioritize information effectively. Historically, understanding this process was rudimentary. In the context of brain plasticity, consider how a stroke can reshape neural pathways over time to regain lost functions. This new discovery adds a layer of complexity to how we understand these adaptive processes. It underscores the dynamic, adaptable nature of our brain’s circuitry, wich has been a cornerstone of human evolution, allowing us to learn and adapt rapidly.
Key Takeaways:
- Direct vs. Indirect Feedback: The new direct feedback loop allows for rapid and nuanced processing of sensory data in conjunction with memory and emotion.
- Inhibitory mechanism: This groundbreaking inhibition mechanism offers more elegant information processing, enhancing learning and neural plasticity.
- Clinical Implications: Insights from this research could lead to advancements in treating neurological disorders and contribute to the understanding of brain plasticity.
Conclusion:
As we continue to unravel the mysteries of the brain, discoveries like this highlight the complex orchestration of neural circuits that allow us to experience and adapt to the world. Dr. Foster’s insights offer an enriching outlook on how these processes might influence future research and treatment modalities.
We invite our readers to share their thoughts in the comments or on social media about how the brain’s ability to prioritize information has influenced their personal experiences or learning processes. Join the conversation below!
