Georgia State neuroscientists rewire brain of 1 species to have connectivity of another

On June 1, Science Magazine published an article on Drs. Akira Sakurai and Paul Katz's work. They found that in two distinct creatures – the giant nudibranch and the hooded nudibranch – , in spite of having the same neurons in both brains and showing same behavior, the wiring was different.

The researchers blocked some of the connections in the giant nudibranch which were causing the animal to swim by producing a pattern of impulses. They also created some artificial connections based on connections from the hooded nudibranch's brain. Interestingly, the brain was able to produce rhythmic, alternating activity that would underlie the swimming behavior. This indicates that two species may show similar behaviors, but having very different brain mechanisms which is interesting from an evolution point of view.

Read more here.