ELSC

For years, human intelligence has often been explained mainly by scale: the number of neurons in the brain and the vast connections between them.
A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), led by Prof. Idan Segev and Prof. Mickey London, together with PhD students Ido Aizenbud and Daniela Yoeli of ELSC, in collaboration with Prof. Chris de K**k from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, points to another possibility:
What if individual human cortical neurons are far more powerful computational units than previously thought?
Using advanced computer models and artificial intelligence, the researchers tested how difficult it would be for an artificial neural network to reproduce the input-output behavior of a single brain cell.
The harder the task, the more computationally complex the neuron.
Their findings show that a single human cortical neuron can perform computations comparable to those of a deep neural network - suggesting that human brain cells are not simple “on/off” units, but powerful computing devices in their own right.

Read Full >> https://www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10.1073/pnas.2533168123

Congratulations to the researchers on this exciting publication!

🔆 מרכז אדמונד ולילי ספרא למדעי המוח מזמין סטודנטיות.ים מצטיינות.ים להגיש מועמדות למלגת התמחות באחת ממעבדות המרכז.
המלגה תנתן לחודש או חודשיים לסטודנטים בשנה ב’ ומעלה.
⬇️ הירשמו ליום הפתוח קישור בתגובה ראשונה
📝לפרטים נוספים, בקרו באתר ELSC או שלחו מייל ל: [email protected]

* מלגות הקיץ זמינות בקרב כלל חוקרי ELSC, אליהם ניתן לפנות ללא קשר ליום הפתוח, את רשימת החוקרים ניתן למצוא באתר ELSC.

We were thrilled to host the Joint Israeli Pre-OHBM & ISMRM Meeting 2026 this past Tuesday right here at the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC)!

The energy at the Goodman Building was electric, with just short of 200 leading researchers and students convening from universities across Israel. The day featured a packed schedule of 33 exceptional oral presentations across parallel sessions in the Becker Auditorium and Class 2004, alongside a vibrant poster session in our Palm Beach Courtyard.

A special thank you to the driving forces behind this fantastic event, Prof. Aviv Mezer and Dr. Rona Shaharabani, for their incredible leadership and organization 👏
A huge congratulations to Nitsan Bar Lev and Amir Mano for winning the Best Poster Presentation Award! 🏆

At ELSC, we are proud to serve as a hub for scientific collaboration. Thank you to everyone who attended and showcased the incredible future of neuroimaging and brain mapping research in Israel! 🧠💫

Good luck and safe travels to all those attending Organization for Human Brain Mapping 2026.