Neurons, the building blocks of our brains, communicate by sending electrical signals between each other. By modifying the strength of these signals, the brain can select which sensory inputs to pay attention to and even memorize certain inputs.
A recent paper published by Dr. Ludwar in Nature Scientific Reports looks at the mechanism that modifies signals at the synapse between two neurons. In work done in collaboration with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Dr. Ludwar was able to demonstrate for the first time that 'background' calcium ions in the sending neuron can determine the strength of the connection. This allows the brain to 'select' a sensory input and to focus on the most relevant information. The article is available at www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-57362-2