CAS Team Finds Single-Neuron Dendrites Can Independently Encode Abstract Cognitive Rules

A team led by Xu Ninglong at the CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligent Technology published a study online in Science on October 16 showing that the apical dendrites of single neurons in mice can independently encode abstract rules the animals infer, while the soma represents sensory information, with the two combined nonlinearly to produce decision output. Using two-photon imaging to record apical dendrite and soma activity simultaneously, and optogenetics to selectively silence dendrites, the team found that somatic choice signals were significantly weakened, indicating that dendrites directly participate in cognitive computation.