Brain waves
Axons demystified; clues found to schizophrenia, dyslexia; memory formation comprehended better
Understanding how the brain works has been one of the cornerstones of scientific inquiry down the ages. The turn of the millennium gave headway to our understanding of our most vital organ. Key to the study of the brain is axons — nerve cell extensions which connect with axons of other nerve cells to form a neural communications network. In 2001, scientists got to understand the workings of axons and how they grow in a developing nervous system, knowledge that could lead to ways of repairing damaged adult nerves. Four years later, researchers gained clues about how the brain gets ‘miswired’, leading to conditions like schizophrenia, dyslexia and Tourette’s syndrome. They found that genes give miscues, altering brain biology in the womb, making the brain susceptible to problems later in life; genetic medicine can reduce the risks. In 2006 and 2007, neuroscientists gained insight into how the brain records new memories and found that there is a similarity between how the brain recollects memories and forms scenarios. The decade’s developments in neuroscience brought us closer to finding answers to the ultimate questions about the brain: consciousness, perception and language.