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Updated: Feb 22, 2026

Induction of an Isoelectric Brain State to Investigate the Impact of Endogenous Synaptic Activity on Neuronal Excitability In Vivo
Published on: March 31, 2016
Bioinorganic Life and Neural Activity: Toward a Chemistry of Consciousness?
1Department of Chemistry, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California , Berkeley, California 94720, United States.
Abstract:
Identifying what elements are required for neural activity as potential path toward consciousness, which represents life with the state or quality of awareness, is a "Holy Grail" of chemistry. As life itself arises from coordinated interactions between elements across the periodic table, the majority of which are metals, new approaches for analysis, binding, and control of these primary chemical entities can help enrich our understanding of inorganic chemistry in living systems in a context that is both universal and personal.
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