Mouse studies have shown that a mere handful of long, branching neurons are connected to the claustrum and project into the cortex like a “crown of thorns,” Koch said.

The claustrum complex, a small yet powerful region in the brain, has intrigued scientists for years. Found across mammalian species, reptiles, and birds, this conserved brain structure is believed ...

Next, the researchers gave mice a cognitively simple or a difficult task and compared how they responded when the claustrum was turned off. Normally, a mouse can perform both the simple and the ...

Yet, when the researchers turned off the claustrum, the mice could no longer perform the difficult task. Related Stories. Targeting brain’s waste removal system may help combat cognitive decline; ...

In a study published this month in Science Advances, researchers from Osaka University discovered a small group of brain cells in the claustrum of mice that controls stress-induced anxiety behaviors.

The mouse claustrum broadcasts its importance by the shocking breadth of its projections that Koch's team has recently imaged. But could the human claustrum still be vestigial? This is also unlikely.

Observations in mice now support the role of the claustrum as a hub for coordinating activity across the brain. New research from the RIKEN Center for Brain Science (CBS) ...