Researchers Use Machine Learning to ‘See’ How the Brain Adapts to Different Situations

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University in the USA have developed a technique that utilises artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor changes in the strength of synapses in living animals. The junctions permit nerve cells in the brain to communicate with one another, and the technique, which is featured in Nature Methods, is likely to enhance researchers’ understanding of how learning, ageing, injury, and disease affect these connections. To date, scientists have struggled to improve the quality of images of synapses due to their small size and high density. The team turned to machine learning as a solution, using green-glowing glutamate receptors in genetically altered mice as a test bed. The AI framework allowed for the creation of a higher resolution image from a lower quality one, rendering changes in fluorescent synapses visible over time.