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Running enhances visual processing in mice

The action of running “turns up” visual processing in mice, demonstrating how active movement and sensory processing in the brain are tightly connected.

A collaborative study led by scientists from The University of Oregon found that neurons in the visual cortex - a region of the brain resposible for processing vision - were twice as active when mice were ran compared to when they were motionless.

The team went on to identify neural circuits in the brain responsible for linking movement and visual perception together.

Similar brain regions are involved in disorders of motor dysfunction, such as Parkinson’s disease, in humans. Research in mice may help in the development of deep brain stimultion therapies targeting these regions.

Read more at University of Oregon

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