Study finds a difference between neurons of humans and other mammals
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Re: Study finds a difference between neurons of humans and other mammals
#2This is fascinating, groundbreaking research I think! Never heard of anything like this. Any neuroscientists here who can speak to implications?
Re: Study finds a difference between neurons of humans and other mammals
#3I highly doubt that reducing the number of channels is a simple efficiency hack, if it was simple to just reduce the density then animals would have had lower density just like humans. The question to ask is why humans would benefit from having fewer channels while animals doesn't.
My naïve hunch tells me that this could be related to rationality in some way, that weakening the ion pump signals could make it easier for cells to learn and make alternate computations, creating humans strong rationality that is capable of overriding our natural urges. An animal without significant ability to learn rationally like humans wouldn't have a reason to weaken the signals, so to them they just optimize for signal strength and energy use.
Re: Study finds a difference between neurons of humans and other mammals
#4Macaques were the closest primate studied; I'm very curious if this also exists in other primates or if it is indeed limited only to humans.
> The researchers are also interested in exploring whether primate species that are more closely related to humans show similar decreases in ion channel density.
Re: Study finds a difference between neurons of humans and other mammals
#5I highly doubt that reducing the number of channels is a simple efficiency hack, if it was simple to just reduce the density then animals would have had lower density just like humans. The question to ask is why humans would benefit from having fewer channels while animals doesn't. My naïve hunch tells me that this could be related to rationality in some way, that weakening the ion pump signals could make it easier f…
> ... then animals would have had lower density just like humans.
My just so story would be that those with the higher benefit out-competed (i.e. killed) those primates with somewhat lesser efficiency.
Re: Study finds a difference between neurons of humans and other mammals
#6I highly doubt that reducing the number of channels is a simple efficiency hack, if it was simple to just reduce the density then animals would have had lower density just like humans. The question to ask is why humans would benefit from having fewer channels while animals doesn't. My naïve hunch tells me that this could be related to rationality in some way, that weakening the ion pump signals could make it easier f…
The article mentioned thst reducing thr number of channels decreases the energy use, but surely this is for some kind of tradeoff? Would he nice to hear what this might be since the article did not mention or speculate it
Re: Study finds a difference between neurons of humans and other mammals
#7>They were able to obtain brain tissue from 10 mammalian species: Etruscan shrews (one of the smallest known mammals), gerbils, mice, rats, Guinea pigs, ferrets, rabbits, marmosets, and macaques, as well as human tissue removed from patients with epilepsy during brain surgery.
Offbeat question: Could it be that epilepsy is a disorder caused by this missing ion channel, and this isn't true for all humans?
Re: Study finds a difference between neurons of humans and other mammals
#8Since it’s about density of ion channels, surely you’d want to check brain samples from animals with brains larger than humans’ to compare?
Re: Study finds a difference between neurons of humans and other mammals
#9>They were able to obtain brain tissue from 10 mammalian species: Etruscan shrews (one of the smallest known mammals), gerbils, mice, rats, Guinea pigs, ferrets, rabbits, marmosets, and macaques, as well as human tissue removed from patients with epilepsy during brain surgery. Offbeat question: Could it be that epilepsy is a disorder caused by this missing ion channel, and this isn't true for all humans?
It's not clear that every case of epilepsy has a common cause, but this is certainly possible.
Re: Study finds a difference between neurons of humans and other mammals
#10I highly doubt that reducing the number of channels is a simple efficiency hack, if it was simple to just reduce the density then animals would have had lower density just like humans. The question to ask is why humans would benefit from having fewer channels while animals doesn't. My naïve hunch tells me that this could be related to rationality in some way, that weakening the ion pump signals could make it easier f…
> My naïve hunch tells me that this could be related to rationality in some way, that weakening the ion pump signals could make it easier for cells to learn and make alternate computations, creating humans strong rationality that is capable of overriding our natural urges.
That's quite a conclusion you're jumping to...
"rationality" is a word denoting a very complex concept obtaining its meaning only through a specific historic background including a lot of assumptions that are not as universal as you might think.
I would always be very careful when trying to bridge between
1) A physical phenomenon.
2) Concepts derived through a complex cultural discourse.
These are two very separate worlds.