Yanling Zhang, Ph.D., Research Fellow, Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan
The hippocampus is a region of the brain that is involved in learning and long-term memory. This image is of a hippocampal neuron cultured in a petri dish. Long, branched processes grow out from this pyramidal neuron and form connections with other neurons as well as itself. Information is transmitted through and stored in these connections (synapses). These connections control information flow in a coordinated way and allow memories to be stored in an orderly manner so that they can be later faithfully retrieved.