It’s 2011. By now, most of us are very familiar with Google Maps. After all, it’s a pretty incredible resource. We can get driving directions, view street maps and satellite images, check traffic conditions, locate nearby businesses, and more. Essentially, we’re able to identify locations throughout the world, the connections between them, and the condition of those connections. Google Maps has made many of our lives easier and our travel more efficient. A project like Google Maps is ever evolving, but the effects of its development are quite obvious in today’s world. What if we could expand on the concept of mapping all of planet earth, and attempt to map other complex systems? Might it be possible to map the structures and connections of the human brain? Many neuroscientists believe so, and have, in recent years, undertaken a project akin to the much-discussed human genome project, known as the human connectome project. Simply put, the connectome project is an attempt to map each and every neural connection in the brain. It’s a gigantic task considering that the human brain’s one hundred billion or so neurons have the potential to form several hundred trillion synaptic connections. There are some neuroscientists who believe that the development of a complete connectome is nearly impossible, but many agree that the seemingly endless potential of the project makes attempting it a no-brainer.
For a map of the human connectome to be useful, however, there must be a proper way to experience it. Relatively new software programs like the Allen Brain Atlas and Elsevier’s BrainNavigator utilize the latest technologies to digitalize the connectome and present the brain in an interactive way. Students, researchers, doctors, and curious minds alike all have the potential to benefit from the development of the latest brain mapping technologies and software programs because they will be able to save time and resources in more ways than one.
Neuroscientists use this software to evaluate the data they collect and pinpoint precise brain regions in the software that correspond to regions they’re studying. They are also able to eliminate their reliance on enormous and expensive print versions of brain atlases. Of course, software like BrainNavigator isn’t just for neuroscientists. High school students, college undergrads, or any inquiring individual can successfully operate the software and explore the brain in full. Anyone can register to use it online for free, making the availability of this software one of its most attractive qualities. The supply of authentic animal brains is small, and access to human brains is even more limited. Some universities have access, but many students may be forced to share one brain, or crowd around an instructor to identify miniscule structures and connections; a situation I have personally experienced on multiple occasions.
If the software’s unlimited access to brains isn’t enough to convince you how game-changing it really is, consider this: mouse, rat, and monkey brains are the most commonly studied brains throughout the scientific community. While their usefulness can’t be overstated, the fewer sentient beings sacrificed for research purposes, the better. The 2010 EU directive on the protection of animals in scientific research states, “the use of animals for scientific or educational purposes should only be considered where a non-animal alternative is unavailable.” BrainNavigator’s 3D imaging technology is so accurate and insightful that it might be possible to significantly reduce the number of animals sacrificed for brain research. The future holds the possibility of a connectome so intricate that anatomy, and even more in-depth experimental research, could be conducted solely through the use of software programs. Perhaps many of our small, furry friends will live long lives in the wild, and successfully avoid spending any time in a laboratory.
In just the way that Google Maps has become the default method of navigating planet earth, the creators of BrainNavigator and the Allen Brain Atlas hope that their software will become the default method for navigating through animal and human brains. You could be the first of your friends to familiarize yourself with the future of brain research! So, what are you waiting for? Check out BrainNavigator at http://www.brainnav.com/ and the Allen Brain Atlas at http://www.brain-map.org/. They’re free, easy to use, and quite possibly the coolest way to experience brain structures and the connectome!
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