KU Leuven researchers put octopus brain on the map

Wide variation in brain cells makes octopus brain even more complex than thought. Left: different cell types based on which genes are active / Right: location of these cells in the brain of an octopus. KU Leuven | Seuntjens Lab - For the first time, researchers are mapping the different cell types found in octopus brains. Because of these animals' amazing ability to think, it should come as no surprise that their brain cells exhibit similar properties to the known neurons and glia in other animals. What is surprising, however, is the large number of different types of brain cells. This diversity may explain why octopuses - although evolutionarily some 600 million years removed from us - are still able to solve complex thinking exercises. The research results were published in Nature Communications .