Human brain map collaboration between Google and Harvard

Harvard University and Google have taken a giant step to better understand the complex structure of the human brain. In the research conducted as a result of the collaboration, a detailed map containing 57 thousand cells, 230 millimeters of blood vessels and 150 million synaptic connections in a cross-section of the human brain was revealed. This map offers the scientific community the opportunity to examine the brain structure in more detail and better understand the origins of neurological diseases.

Researchers at Harvard began by collecting thousands of thin-section images of healthy brain tissue from a woman with epilepsy that had to be removed during surgery. A portion of this small tissue removed was preserved as part of an IRB-approved study for later analysis.

The Google Research team has developed advanced AI tools to create an interactive 3D model of brain tissue. The model highlights the complexity of the human brain: According to the example given by Google, one millionth of the total human brain and a section approximately 3 mm long requires 1.4 petabytes of data, that is, millions of gigabytes of data. This is described as the largest dataset ever created of human brain structure at this resolution.

The sampling was taken from a part of the cortex (gray matter) called the anterior temporal lobe. The cortex has six layers, and neurons are colored according to their size and type, so that the layers can be seen in a zoom-out view of all of these neurons. The surface of the brain is located at the upper edge of the image below.

A cubic millimeter sample of tissue contains about 50,000 cells and 150 million synapses, the junctions where signals pass from one neuron to another. It shows a surprising feature in which some pairs of neurons are extremely strongly connected to each other through up to 50 synapses. Researchers don’t know why. This image provides a close-up view of the excitatory neuron type, colored by size.

One of the surprising findings of the research was the formation of “axon vortices”. Axons (blue) are the filamentous part of a nerve cell that carries the signal away from the cell. These looping axon bundles were rarely found in the sample and in some cases were located on the surface of another cell (yellow). Their functions are unknown.

There is much more to observe and understand from this piece of human brain reconstruction, and we hope other researchers will use the data to make additional discoveries. Scientists believe that by continuing to research the brain’s connections, they may one day understand how our memories are formed or what causes neurological disorders and diseases such as autism and Alzheimer’s.

This important development promises new hope for millions of people struggling with neurological disorders. Researchers believe that a deeper understanding of brain structure may pave the way for the development of new methods for treating these diseases. Indeed, having a tangible and visible brain map is considered to be capable of revolutionizing neurological treatments.

As a result, this study conducted by Harvard and Google expands the boundaries of neuroscience and is considered a groundbreaking step in understanding and treating brain-related diseases. In the future, with the help of this detailed brain map, perhaps neurological diseases will become a thing of the past.