“To precisely classify these cells, the scientists then analyzed their gene expression. That’s when they realized that the set of genes expressed in these inhibitory rosehip neurons doesn’t closely match any previously identified cell in the mouse, suggesting they have no analog in the rodent often used as a model for humans, the authors report today in Nature Neuroscience. The discovery also raises the question of whether these neurons are key to certain brain functions that separate us from mice.
But the exact function of these new neurons is still something of a mystery. Rosehip neurons appear to make up just 10% to 15% of inhibitory neurons in the first layer of cortex and are likely even more scarce elsewhere. ”
via Mysterious new brain cell found in people | Science | AAAS
image and study: E. BOLDOG ET AL., NATURE NEUROSCIENCE 10.1038 (2018)