Transformative Brain Projects

There are a couple new "transformative" brain projects that will begin soon. Neuroscience grants have been awarded to two people in order to further our understanding of how the mind functions.

Here's an excerpt about the first project connectome;

Mitra and colleagues, including Professor Harvey Karten of the University of California, San Diego, will use their “transformative” grant to produce the first brain-wide circuit diagram for the mouse, and using this as reference, attempt to determine alterations in the corresponding circuits of mouse models of neuropsychiatric disorders.

Below is an excerpt discussing the second project;

Josh Dubnau’s “transformative” project addresses an important gap in knowledge: about how this fundamental step in the conversion of genetic information -- its “translation” from RNA to protein -- is regulated in neurons, the ubiquitous cells of the brain whose dense web of connections underlie its capacity to perform sophisticated functions such as forming and storing memories.

There has also recently been talk about creating a complete connectome wiring diagram of the human brain. The NIH has aimed to do this within 5 years. A neuroscience blogger has shown skepticism about this. He thinks that the brain is far too complex and it will actually take much longer to get this diagram. I would partially disagree with his points. I believe it is important not to take an overly linear view of progress. Yes it seems like a daunting task. However, researchers are continuously creating better tools in order to acquire this type of data faster. I wouldn't argue that it will necessarily happen within 5 years, but I think the speed at which it occurs will be suprising.

Ray Kurzweil talks a lot about certain accelerating trends or (s-curves). Certain technologies don't progress in a linear rate, but much faster. In his book, Kurzweil gives an example;

"When the human-genome scan got under way in 1990 critics pointed out that given the speed with which the genome could then be scanned it would take thousands of years to finish the project. Yet the fifteen-year was completed slightly ahead of schedule, with a first draft in 2003.

Now the amount of people who have had their genome sequenced is probably going to increase at an exponential rate over the course of the next several years. It won't be long before everyone who wants to have their genome sequenced will be able to have it done. This has been happening because new tools have allowed for faster and cheaper sequencing of DNA. A main problem with Kurzweil is that he takes his accelerating trends analysis too far and tries to apply it to things where it doesn't work. Also these accelerating trends do end eventually, which Kurzweil doesn't spend enough time discussing. So while some of the points he makes are good, he is not necessarily the most reliable source. Overall, though, I think it is important to have a broader understanding of specific trends that exist in a variety of different fields. Many scientists/neuroscientists may have an overly narrow focus of what they study and it is difficult for any one person to keep abreast of developments in other fields. They may not be totally aware of scientific progress in unrelated disciplines, so they might underestimate what could be possible to do with technology and how fast it will occur.

Brain Mapping

There's a new paper in PLoS Biology entitled "A Computational Framework for Ultrastructural Mapping of Neural Circuitry". Researchers from two different universities have teamed up to create accelerated brain mapping capabilities. The researchers are using transmission electron microscopes (TEMs) to map specific brain regions. Previously the work to map brain regions could take years. Now, though, they have created more powerful software that enables a faster analysis of TEM created brain images. Here's an excerpt from the abstract;

We have assembled a complete framework for ultrastructural mapping using conventional transmission electron microscopy that tremendously accelerates image analysis. This framework combines small-molecule profiling to classify cells, automated image acquisition, automated mosaic formation, automated slice-to-slice image registration, and large-scale image browsing for volume annotation. Terabyte-scale image volumes requiring decades or more to assemble manually can now be automatically built in a few months. This makes serial-section transmission electron microscopy practical for high-resolution exploration of all complex tissue systems (neural or nonneural) as well as for ultrastructural screening of genetic models.

According to the press release the authors of this paper expect to have a molecular map of an entire mammalian retina including the neuronal networks very shortly. So this should be useful for understanding specific types of disorders.

Meanwhile there is another new challenge that has been assigned an unusual acronym. It's basically a competition among researchers to find faster ways to map the brain.

The organizers hope the DIADEM Challenge—short for Digital Reconstruction of Axonal and Dentritic Morphology—will lead to innovative solutions to a frustrating problem that has slowed efforts to create a functional atlas of the brain. Neuroscientists agree that a systematic characterization of neurons with their dendrites and axons is essential, since these tree-like structures are highly correlated with the electric activity of, and precise connections between, neurons and are thus linked to the functions of specific brain circuits. But scientists currently spend weeks—and, in some cases, months—tracing the intricate neuronal processes by hand, using data supplied by imaging studies.

There is a DIADEM challenge website that is up already. It is definitely going to be interesting as these type of brain maps become more common place. They should be very useful for understanding the workings of the brain.

Mouse Brain Connectivity Project

Researchers have proposed that a connectivity map of a mouse's brain could be carried out in the next 5 years for a cost of 20 million dollars. You can read the technical outline paper here (pdf). This would basically be an extremely detailed wiring map of all the connections in the brain (like the axons of neurons). Eventually this research could also lead to more detailed human brain maps as well. More detailed maps could go a long way in furthering brain research.

The abstract is given below.

In this era of complete genomes, our knowledge of neuroanatomical circuitry remains surprisingly sparse. Such knowledge is however critical both for basic and clinical research into brain function. Here we advocate for a concerted effort to fill this gap, through systematic, experimental mapping of neural circuits at a mesoscopic scale of resolution suitable for comprehensive, brain-wide coverage, using injections of tracers or viral vectors. We detail the scientific and medical rationale and briefly review existing knowledge and experimental techniques. We define a set of desiderata, including brain-wide coverage; validated and extensible experimental techniques suitable for standardization and automation; centralized, open access data repository; compatibility with existing resources, and tractability with current informatics technology. We discuss a hypothetical but tractable plan for mouse, additional efforts for the macaque, and technique development for human. We estimate that the mouse connectivity project could be completed within five years with a comparatively modest budget.