Dendritic activity important to memory (VIDEO) Northwestern University This video is under embargo. Please login to access this video. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Caption In a study published in Nature, Northwestern researchers have discovered how neurons in the brain might allow some experiences to be remembered while others are forgotten. The two movies illustrate two of the study's techniques. The left movie shows movement through a virtual maze that is controlled by an animal running on a trackball. (The ball is visible at the bottom.) The right movie shows neural activity measured with a cutting-edge imaging technique; each lit-up, doughnut-shaped structure is a neuron firing action potentials. The activity of these neurons represents the animal's experience of where they are in the environment. Whether the neurons store this experience depends on the activity of their dendrites (the branched extensions emanating from the neuron's cell body, along which impulses are received from other cells). Note: The movies are not time synchronized and are presented for illustration purposes only. Credit Credit: Northwestern University Usage Restrictions Movies are EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE 2 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time Sunday, October 26, 2014. Full caption and credit must accompany movies. License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.