Scientists create ChatGPT-like AI model for neuroscience to build one of the most detailed mouse brain maps to date
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 2-Apr-2026 11:15 ET (2-Apr-2026 15:15 GMT/UTC)
Cells all require the transport of materials to maintain their function. In nerve cells, a tiny motor made of protein called KIF1A is responsible for that. Mutations in this protein can lead to neurological disorders, including difficulties in walking, intellectual impairment and nerve degradation. It’s known that mutations in KIF1A also result in a weakened motor performance, but this has been difficult to measure so far. Researchers including those from the University of Tokyo and the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) in Japan have measured changes in the force of KIF1A using a nanospring, a tiny, coiled structure, made of DNA which could lead to improved diagnosis of diseases related to the protein’s mutations.