Mileage clock' found inside brain could help diagnose Alzheimer's

"Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story."

"A mileage clock inside the brain has been located for the first time by scientists who say the fascinating findings could help to diagnose Alzheimer's. The researchers allowed rats to run around a small arena and then recorded the rodents' brain activity from a part known to be important for memory and navigation. There, they found cells, known as grid cells, which fired in a pattern that mirrored a mileage clock, ticking as the animal travelled, according to reports."

The Independent requests donations to fund on-the-ground reporting across reproductive rights, climate change, and Big Tech while keeping journalism free from paywalls. Donations enable sending journalists to investigate financials, produce documentaries spotlighting American women fighting for reproductive rights, and present multiple perspectives. Neuroscientists located a mileage-clock-like signal by recording grid-cell activity while rats navigated an arena and by running a scaled-up test with human volunteers. Grid cells fired in a patterned, distance-tracking manner, revealing aspects of the internal navigation system and offering potential pathways for Alzheimer’s diagnosis and research.

Read at www.independent.co.uk