Mapping the Brain in Unprecedented Detail

July 24, 2013 11:33 AM Text Size: A . A . A At Stanford researchers have developed a technique to make the brain see-through, allowing them to trace individual neurons, and their sometimes far-flung connections, from end to end. They?ve succeeded in doing so with an entire mouse brain and portions of human brains.

Meanwhile, the federal government in 2014 is investing $100 million in Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN). The BRAIN scientists want to chart the simultaneous functions and activity of the brain?s 100 billion neurons and its 100 trillion synapses at an unprece?dented resolution. Understanding the brain?s circuitry could lead to better treatments for dementia and other neurological ailments, as well as developing mind-controlled prostheses and computers that ?think? like humans. The National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and DARPA will contribute to the project, expected to cost millions more over the next few years.

Meanwhile, here are the frontiers of neuroscience where scientists are learning more about the brain:

Brain Highways

When brain signals need to travel long distances, they take the highway. Researchers at Indiana University and the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands have uncovered high-capacity pathways that form the backbone of the neural network, facilitating communication between far-off brain regions.

Gene Mapping

The variance in how different areas of the brain express the same genes may play a role in shaping the brain?s architecture. Icelandic Heart Association researchers discovered a gene that?s overactive in the brains of people with Alzheimer?s, disrupting the activity of many other genes.

Deep-Brain Stimulation

Some diseases interrupt the electrical signals neurons use to communicate. In deep brain stimulation, implanted electrodes deliver weak impulses to the brain, changing how neurons fire. The technique, a Parkinson?s disease treatment since 2002, may also be effective against depression and bipolar disorder.

Mind-Controlled Prostheses

Electrode implants allow patients paralyzed from the neck down to operate thought-controlled robotic arms to independently drink coffee, eat chocolate, and reach out to a loved one. Better understanding of the motor cortex?s cir?cuitry may unlock new prosthesis abilities.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/nueroscience/mapping-the-brain-in-unprecedented-detail-15727629?src=rss

ferris state hockey mary poppins john derbyshire kinkade thomas kinkade paintings navy jet crash virginia beach isiah thomas