It is fascinating to me that scientists are still discovering pieces of human anatomy.  Just recently, scientists discovered a new type of brain cell that exists in humans but not in animals.  According to reporting from NPR that cites a study published in the September 2018 edition of the journal Nature Neuroscience, these new-found brain cells, called rose hip neurons, are inhibitory in nature and appear to have something to do with the transmission of information in the brain.  They say that this discovery may help explain why psychotropic medications that work in mice do not work in humans. It opens the door not only for new research into brain health, but new ways of studying human mental illness that do not necessarily involve animal studies.

This research used funding from President Obama’s BRAIN Initiative and involved scientists from Hungary and the United States.  For a more in-depth summary and to see an amazing image of one of these neurons, check out the posting on NPR. To read the journal article itself, click here.