A team of neuroscientists may be a step closer to successfully creating a virtual simulation of the human brain.
Researchers from the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), after 10 years of hard work, unveiled findings behind the most detailed simulation closest to resembling real brain tissue.
The Blue Brain Project consisted of 30,000 virtually created neurons of part of a rat brain smaller than a cubic millimeter.
Similar Motor Cortices in Human and Rat Brains
Researchers have been using rat brain for years to gain more understanding of how the human brain works.
Previous studies have found that there is a similarity between human and rat motor cortices, making studying rat brains more relevant in understanding the human brain.
"Our work demonstrates that the rat motor cortex is parcellated into distinct subregions that perform specific functions," said Kevin Alloway in a 2013 study. "This result appears to be similar to what is seen in the primate brain."
In recreating a rat's brain, the Blue Brain Project, on the other hand, aims to understand brain functions better by creating a digital version of the brain as accurately as possible to be able to observe its functions and multilevel structure.
While still far from the goal to completely recreate the human brain, the team was already able to simulate the neurosignal transmission in the brain to transmit touch and other brain activities.
Effects of Calcium on Sleep and Brain Disorders
Another discovery the Blue Brain Project team made was calcium's function in the brain. Elevated calcium levels in simulations resulted in "synchronous" brain activity similar to those of sleeping animals. Adjusting the calcium level helped them acquire the desired effect.
"When we (digitally) decreased the calcium levels to match those found in awake animals, the circuit behaved asynchronously, like neural circuits in awake animals," said co-author Eilif Muller.
The researchers then concluded that adjusting chemical levels can cause neural activity changes, which can help treat abnormal neural activity, such as sleep and behavioral problems in both animals and people.
The role of calcium in the nervous system is more than other researchers thought at first.
In a separate study from the University of Calgary, researchers found that calcium is important in regulating cerebral blood flow.
"This study will assist with understanding the problems initiated in the human brain arteries," said co-author Osama Harraz. This can then lead to improved therapeutic targeting of treatment procedures.
Based on the findings from the simulated rat brain, it may also be able to affect neural activity. Further studies are still needed to determine how calcium can also affect the transmission of nerve signals.
However, the results of the study, while comprehensive, remain insufficient to complete the complex neural pathways and circuitry of the brain.
'Not Yet a Perfect Digital Replica'
The researchers said that there are admittedly little significant results yet. The project is still in its primary stages.
"The reconstruction is a first draft; it is not complete and it is not yet a perfect digital replica of the biological tissue," explained Henry Markram, co-founder of the Human Brain Project. The reconstructed brain is still missing important parts such as blood vessels, glia and other cells that compose nearly 90 percent of the brain.
The findings of the Blue Brain Project are published in the journal Cell. The model is available online for free for viewing and analysis.
Photo: Jason Snyder | Flickr
