Diseases of the Brain: Computer Model of Nerve Cells Provides Insights into Communication Problems

In diseases of the brain, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, the neurons fail to communicate correctly with each other. As Bonn-based researchers of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) now report in the journal “Neuron“, these connectivity problems can be ascribed to alterations in the structure of the nerve cells. For their study, the scientists investigated diseased nerve cells using high precision methods and subsequently simulated their electrical properties on the computer.