Mapping the Jungle That Is the Human Brain Onto a Computer
By: Oscar Petrov
Tags: Neuroscience, Brain, Human Brain Project, Neocortex, Science

Why is the HBP Important?

According to a report conducted by the World Heath Organization, it is estimated that 1 in 4 people will undergo some sort of mental or neurological disorder in their lives. That’s almost 2 billion people. With the brain acting as the powerhouse to our body’s decision-making and interpreter of our experiences, it becomes evident why neurological disorder is such a prominent problem facing society today.

As Henry Markram states, “ without decisions: we cannot see; we cannot think; [and] we cannot feel.” He reasons that upon walking into a room, 99% of what you see does not actually come from the eyes; Rather, it is what you infer from the room upon which you are entering—i.e., the layout of the room; the walls; the windows; how the furniture is arranged; how the floors meet the walls, etc. And it is this prevalence of decision-making throughout the human brain which is so important to our evolutionary kind, that it’d be foolish to not dedicate time and energy into understanding and pinpointing the very fundamentals of what causes our own degradation, and ‘sickness.’

The increasing size of the neocortex across the evolution of primates is attributable to its fascinating success throughout this evolutionary process. It was so successful, in fact, that as brain matter continued to grow, primates eventually reached a point where they ran out of room in their skull for the brain to keep growing!

Alarming change in brain size across human evolution (Source: The Acquatic Human Ancestor Theory)

But it didn’t stop there. The brain continued growing, but now, folding in on itself, cramming every last bit of brain cells it can fit. Why? So it could store even more information and be able to perform even more complex functions.

That is, after all, the final product of evolution, according to Henry Markram, and it’s why simulating the brain to perfection (purely from a pattern, circuitry-based perspective, as all brains are unique in composition) is the holy grail of neuroscience, as it will ultimately, physically(!) transform the way we think. Not only that, but it will allow us to perceive reality through another lens—that is, a virtually realistic lens.

What next?

By developing a virtually, realistic, working simulation, scientists may even be able to simulate a ‘sick’ computer—i.e., a computer which is ‘sick’ with Parkinson’s disease, or at least a disease similar in manner. In this way, it is believed that curing Parkinson’s disease in this “sick,” mathematically-computated-based simulation, we will be able to devise newer, creative ways of replicate this cure in real life.

In summary, by using a mathematically simulated model, which requires a computationally complex and able super-computer, we would be able to integrate a miniaturized model based on physiological data that describes the anatomy of, and activity of the brain in certain regions parts. This cataloging of specific cortical regions of the brain would ultimately allow us to understand the brain better, at least from a mathematical standpoint, which may allow us to better understand diseases, such as Parkinson’s, as well as how we may be able to cure it (i.e., with the help of brain-related medical treatments like Brain-Machine Interfaces.

This is the future of neuroscience.