(This article forms a part of the Science for All newsletter that takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Subscribe now!)
Nestled within the brain’s surface, or the cortex, is a structure that puzzles scientists. Claustrum in Greek means ‘hidden away’, and it looks like a thin, irregular sheet of grey matter, one sheet on each side of the head, concealed between the inner surface of the neocortex.
The claustrum has long been known to exchange signals with much of the cortex, which plays a significant role in higher reasoning and complex thought. The claustrum was once supposed to be ‘the seat of consciousness,’ however new work interprets it to be more like a high-speed internet router, taking in executive commands from “boss” areas of the brain’s cortex that forms complex thoughts to generate “networks” in the cortex. Acting like a router, the claustrum coordinates these networks to work together to accomplish the many different cognitively demanding tasks we perform on a moment-to-moment basis in everyday life.
Understanding brain networks and how they may be altered is important to understand addiction, Alzheimer’s disease, and schizophrenia.
Whether the claustrum has a role to play in consciousness or not, there is relatively wide consensus that it lies at the confluence of a large number of simple loops with cortex. This widespread and reciprocal connectivity with many, if not most, cortical regions raises the question of why is all this information brought together, since this involves most of the loops being much longer than if the claustrum lay more uniformly under the cortex? Even more unusually, there appears to be no long-range connections within the claustrum.
From the Science Pages
Five bacteria types claimed 6.8 lakh lives in India in 2019: Lancet study
Scientists identify APOE gene behind sectional vulnerability of brain to Alzheimer’s
An infiltration system that may solve silting, flooding and restore groundwater
Question Corner
Why was Indonesia’s shallow quake so deadly? Read the answer here.
Flora and Fauna
- ‘Extinct’ clam resurfaces off the rocky shores of California
- The story of the purple tomato — and why its success is a win for GM foods
- Japan’s ivory market is no longer a threat to elephant populations – here’s why
- Great knot sighting untangles a migration mystery
- Watch | Is this what butterflies eat?