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Related Concept Videos

Membrane Fluidity01:26

Membrane Fluidity

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Membrane fluidity is explained by the fluid mosaic model of the cell membrane, which describes the plasma membrane structure as a mosaic of components—including phospholipids, cholesterol, proteins, and carbohydrates—that gives the membrane a fluid character.
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The living membranes are flexible due to their fluid mosaic nature; however, their bending into different shapes is an active process regulated by specific lipids and proteins. The membrane bending can be transient as seen in vesicles or stable for a long time as in microvilli. Cells regulate the size, location, and duration of the membrane curvature.
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Fascicles are bundles of muscle fibers in a skeletal muscle. Muscle fascicle arrangement is directly associated with the power and range of motion of various muscles. The configuration of these fascicles can vary, leading to different functional outcomes.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 1, 2026

Application of Consistent Massage-Like Perturbations on Mouse Calves and Monitoring the Resulting Intramuscular Pressure Changes
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Turning on and off recurrent balanced cortical activity.

Yousheng Shu1, Andrea Hasenstaub, David A McCormick

  • 1Department of Neurobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, USA.

Nature
|May 16, 2003
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Summary

Local cortical circuits maintain a balance between excitation and inhibition, creating stable, self-sustaining neural activity. This finding confirms the critical role of recurrent networks in brain function.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Computational Neuroscience

Background:

  • The cerebral cortex primarily uses local and distant recurrent networks, formed by excitatory and inhibitory neurons.
  • Theoretical models predict a balance between excitation and inhibition in these networks for stable activity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the operational principles of local cortical circuits.
  • To determine if recurrent excitation and inhibition are proportionally balanced in cortical networks.
  • To explore the generation of self-sustaining activity in local cortical circuits.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental investigation of local cortical circuits.
  • Analysis of synaptic connections and neuronal activity.
  • Modeling of recurrent network dynamics.

Main Results:

  • Local cortical circuits demonstrate a proportional balance between recurrent excitation and inhibition.
  • This balance allows for the generation of stable, self-sustaining neural activity.
  • Synaptic inputs were shown to control the initiation and cessation of this activity.

Conclusions:

  • Local recurrent cortical circuits operate via a balanced excitation-inhibition mechanism.
  • This balanced activity supports fundamental brain operations like memory and attention.
  • The study validates the long-standing hypothesis of recurrent activity's role in cortical function.