New technology draws brain nerve "wiring diagram" to further simulate the brain

According to the British Daily Mail on April 12, British researchers have developed a new technology that can help researchers map the brain's neural connections and figure out its main functions, making the dream of uncovering the mysteries of the brain and developing a computer brain model one step closer to reality. The relevant paper was published on the website of Nature magazine on April 11.

This research belongs to "connectomics", an emerging discipline in the field of neuroscience that has just emerged in recent years. Similar to genomics, which studies and maps the human genome, the basis of connectomics is to study and map the connections between brain nerve cells (i.e. synapses), which is similar to the wiring in electronic devices such as computers. Scientists hope to understand the process and mechanism of the brain's cognition, sensation and thought by mapping these circuits and figuring out how they function, and thus provide help for the treatment of diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia and stroke.

However, this is no easy task for the most sophisticated and responsible organ in an animal: the brain. It is understood that there are about 100 billion neurons in the brain, each of which is connected to thousands of other nerve cells. If calculated in this way, there are at least 150 trillion synapses in the brain.

The technique, developed at University College London (UCL), did this by using a high-resolution imaging device to create a 'wiring map' of the neural connections in part of the visual cortex of mice.

According to Dr. Tom Maskey Frogel, who is in charge of the study, they focused their attention on the visual cortex of mice, which has thousands of neurons and millions of different connections. Using the same tissue slice, the researchers first used high-resolution imaging technology to detect the response of nerve cells in the visual cortex of the mouse brain to specific stimuli, then applied microcurrent stimulation to a neuron and observed the response of other nerves connected through synapses. Repeating this process, the function and connection status of nerve cells in the visual cortex can be tracked. In addition to the visual cortex, the researchers hope that this technology can also help them map the synaptic circuits in the brain that are responsible for touch, hearing, and motor systems.

"We are about to uncover the mysterious and complex brain," said Frogel. "Once we understand the functions and connections of synapses at different levels in the brain, we will be able to use computers to simulate the most complex and sophisticated organ in the world." But he also admitted: "There is still a lot of work to be done to achieve this goal. Scientists may have to work continuously for several years before there is a breakthrough. In addition, a computer with super-fast computing power will also be indispensable."

John Williams, head of neuroscience and mental health at the Wellcome Trust, said: "Understanding the inner workings of the brain is one of the ultimate goals of science. This new study provides an important tool for neuroscience research, which can help scientists get a comprehensive view and necessary guidance in their research on the brain."