top of page

Post Publication Research   
                                Chapters

    • Dec 5, 2022

Silent Synapses and Brain Plasticity

In Chapter 10 we talk about the remarkable plasticity of the human brain, having twice as many neurons (86 billion!) as a chimpanzee. This plasticity allows us to commandeer brain cells to relearn vital human functions when calamities such as stroke befall us. New research provides evidence of "silent synapses", immature connections in the brain that allow us to form new memories and absorb new information. https://news.mit.edu/2022/silent-synapses-brain-1130. Here's the published research: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05483-6.

Recent Posts

See All

In chapter 3 we raise the common question about the purpose of dreams in sleep. But there is an even wider oft-considered question about the purpose of sleep itself. New research reinforces that the b

Learning a new musical instrument? Thank the hormone oxytocin for helping develop and integrate synapses of new neurons into the adult brain, which provides the plasticity the brain needs to learn. He

MAAC is all about sound and music. But what about their opposite: silence? Silence is a huge variable and intrinsic component of any composer's palette, and now, Duke researchers have found evidence t

Have research to share?
Send suggestions to zounds@purdue.edu

bottom of page