The brain receives information from the ear in a surprisingly orderly
fashion, according to a University at Buffalo study scheduled to appear
June 6 in the Journal of Neuroscience. The research focuses on a section
of the brain called the cochlear
nucleus, the first way-station in the brain for information coming from
the ear. In particular, the study examined tiny biological structures
called synapses that transmit signals from the auditory nerve to the
cochlear nucleus.
The major finding: The synapses in question
are not grouped randomly. Instead, like orchestra musicians sitting in
their own sections, the synapses are bundled together by a key trait:
plasticity. Read and learn more by following the link to this
interesting article.