Mind Gone Blank

A blank page can be daunting to look at – is it better to start from scratch or bring an earlier version into shape? Scientists wonder the same thing about the brain, where memories are stored in the connections between circuits of neurons in a region called the hippocampus. Examining the hippocampus of mice at different developmental stages, they find dense connections between pyramidal neurons (highlighted in white on the left), compared to the 'edited' network later in life (right). This suggests that, rather than a blank page, the brain starts with a 'rough draft' with more connections than it needs, and progressively removes or changes these based on experience. This neuroplasticity may be more economical, allowing the brains of mice and humans alike to meet developmental deadlines.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

Website

• Image from work by Victor Vargas-Barroso and colleagues
• Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Klosterneuburg, Austria
• Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
• Published in Nature Communications, April 2026