We know in the animal kingdom, the human brain is probably considered the cream of the crop as we can do pretty much anything and everything, that is, unless it has to do with going underwater or into space. Then we’ll need some special gear in order to keep our precious brains from exploding in our skulls. But a new experiment may have just shown what the human brain can do when combined with animals.
Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center injected new properties of human brain cells known as astrocytes into mice, using them to boost their learning ability. The astrocytes, which were once thought to be helper cells, gave the group of mice the ability to learn their way through a maze faster than another group of mice that were given extra brain cells from their own species. Not only that, but the human-brain infused mice were also able to quickly associate a particular sound with an electric shock.
The study may have the potential to change how scientists see the astrocytes as it looks like they now can be considered important properties of the human brain that help us with our ability to learn. It also has taught us we never want to be infused with portions of a mouse’s brain, or else our already unhealthy addiction to cheese will probably become a deadly habit.