Advanced imaging techniques and AI algorithms used for reconstruction
Findings published in prestigious journal Science reveal strange structures never before seen that may help explain how learned habits are etched into the physical architecture of the brain
Google and Harvard collaborate to create most detailed digital map of human brain to date
Newly discovered structures include rare axon connections with up to 50 synapses
Ultimate goal is to create comprehensive map of a mouse's neural wiring using about 1,000 times the amount of data produced from human brain fragment
In a groundbreaking collaboration between Google and Harvard University, scientists have created the most detailed digital map of the human brain to date. This connectome reveals previously unknown structures and connections that may help explain how learned habits are etched into the physical architecture of the brain.
The mapping project, led by Jeff Lichtman from Harvard and Google Research, involved a nearly 10-year collaboration between researchers. The dataset contains never-before-seen details of brain structure, including rare axon connections with up to 50 synapses.
Using advanced imaging techniques and AI algorithms, the team was able to reconstruct a cubic millimeter of temporal cortex in three dimensions. This includes 57,000 cells, 230 millimeters of blood vessels, and 150 million synapses. The ultimate goal is to create a comprehensive map of a mouse's neural wiring using about 1,000 times the amount of data produced from the human brain fragment.
The findings have been published in the prestigious journal Science and have already revealed strange structures never before seen, such as fantastically weird nerve cells that point in opposite directions and axons that detour into whirls before resolving back into straight lines. These structures may help explain how learned habits are etched into the physical architecture of the brain.
The collaboration between Google and Harvard is part of a larger series of projects funded by the BRAIN initiative, a massive scientific effort launched by the Obama administration in 2013 to reveal fundamental insights about the human brain.
The most-detailed digital map (connectome) of the human brain has been created by Harvard scientists with the help of Google.
The mapping revealed strange structures never before seen and not contained in any textbook, including fantastically weird nerve cells that point in one of only two directions, exactly opposite from one another. Axons detour from straight lines into strange whirls and resolve back into straight lines.
A new extremely rare kind of super connection was discovered, linking individual neurons to the information-carrying axon fibers that crisscross the brain. Each super connection contains a jumble of some 50 or so protrusions where normally there is only one.
These structures may help explain how learned habits, such as stopping at a red light without thinking, are etched into the physical architecture of the brain.
The new paper is part of a far larger series of projects funded by the BRAIN initiative, a massive scientific effort launched by the Obama administration in 2013 to reveal fundamental insights about the human brain.
Accuracy
The most-detailed digital map of the human brain has been created by Harvard scientists with the help of Google.
The mapping revealed strange structures never before seen and not contained in any textbook, including fantastically weird nerve cells that point in one of only two directions, exactly opposite from one another.
Some neuron pairs had the surprising property of being connected to each other extremely strongly through as many as 50 synapses.
Researchers have reconstructed the largest 3D brain reconstruction to date, showing a cubic millimeter of temporal cortex with 57,000 cells, 230 millimeters of blood vessels, and 150 million synapses.
The study was led by Jeff Lichtman from Harvard and Google Research and involved a nearly 10-year collaboration.
The dataset contains never-before-seen details of brain structure, including a rare set of axons connected by up to 50 synapses.
Accuracy
The most-detailed digital map of the human brain has been created by Harvard scientists with the help of Google.
This result came from a tiny sample that hasn’t yet unraveled the mysteries of autism, schizophrenia, or depression but represents an important first step in that direction.
The mapping revealed strange structures never before seen and not contained in any textbook, including fantastically weird nerve cells that point in one of only two directions, exactly opposite from one another. Axons detour from straight lines into strange whirls and resolve back into straight lines.
Some neuron pairs had the surprising property of being connected to each other extremely strongly through as many as 50 synapses.
Researchers found clusters of cells that tended to occur in mirror-image orientation to one another.
A team of researchers and neuroscientists have collaborated to unravel the brain's intricacies using AI.
The project was a joint effort between Google researchers and Harvard neuroscientists.
The team used brain imaging with AI-based image processing and analysis to reconstruct nearly every cell and all of its connections within a small volume of human brain tissue about half the size of a grain of rice.
Accuracy
This 3D mapping requires a monumental 1.4 petabytes (1.4 million gigabytes) to encode.
The sample came from a part of the cortex called the anterior temporal lobe.
Some neuron pairs had the surprising property of being connected to each other extremely strongly through as many as 50 synapses.
Researchers found clusters of cells that tended to occur in mirror-image orientation to one another.
Deception
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None Found At Time Of
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Fallacies
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The author makes several statements about the findings of the research without explicitly committing a fallacy. However, there are some instances where the author uses inflammatory rhetoric and appeals to authority. The author states that 'This is the largest dataset ever made of human brain structure at this resolution.' This statement is an appeal to authority as it implies that because it's the largest dataset, it must be significant or important. Additionally, when describing the findings of clusters of cells in mirror-image orientation and axon whorls, the author uses phrases like 'surprising finding' and 'rare in the sample.' These phrases are inflammatory as they imply that these findings are unusual or noteworthy without providing any evidence to support this claim.
]]A team of researchers and neuroscientists have collaborated to unravel the brain's intricacies.[/[],
