Researchers from Canada and Germany have created a detailed
anatomical 3-D brain map of the brain. They used a 65 year-olds woman’s brain
that was preserved, sliced into 7,400 pieces, and then photographed at a
microscopic level. The detail is considered astounding allowing for near cellular
level viewing. The model will be open to all researchers at the Institute of
Neuroscience and Medicine in Jülich, Germany. It will help foster greater
understand of the typography of the brain and encourage higher integration of
research.
With over 1,000 hours and 10 trillion bytes of
information the brain map offers an opportunity to see how the biological parts
worth together. Each crevice, bump and ridge was sliced and photographed to
create the world’s most accurate model. Supercomputers then analyzed the
results to develop computer generated models for researchers.
Currently, researchers use MRI and CT scans to
see the brain. The new model gives a stronger point of references with a higher
level of detail. This has benefits in terms of explanation and comparison of
mapping. The project is different than the BRAIN initiative promoted by
President Barrack Obama. That project will focus more on neural connectivity of
the brain and how it creates pathways.
The results of the 3-D project are likely to be used
in colleges where students will be able to view in-detail pictures of the brain
for study. It is also likely to be a starting point for adding additional information
that is found from other brain research. For example, if a new neural pathway
is found it could be transposed onto the 3-D brain for visual purposes.
The research was a natural progression of previous
methods. Its detail is derived from improvement in technology even though the
methodology is not new. However, such detail affords a greater understanding of
how the brain works. With new research coming in the future from the BRAIN initiative it is
expected that our understanding of how these few pounds of our body operates will improve.
Amunts, et. al. (2013). BigBrain: an
ultrahigh-resolution 3D human brain model. Science,
340 (6139). Retrieved June 20th, 2013 from http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6139/1472
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