What if I could tell you which of your classmates is ruled by her emotions, had an anxiety disorder, or had schizophrenic tendencies, just by looking at her brain? There’s a new initiative in neuroscience called the Human Connectome Project, or HCP. It’s an attempt to map the connective networks in human and mouse brains using new labeling and imaging technologies. The resulting connectome- the map of the connections in the brain- will show how humans are wired, as well as what many individual differences look like. Over-emotional individuals, for example, have more densely wired and more active amygdalas, which serve as the emotional center of the brain. However, the amygdala isn’t isolated in its effects and responsibilities. Every structure in the brain acts as an integrated hub in the connectome network. People who are over-emotional aren’t just easily excitable. They also have a larger amount of emotional memories and allow emotions to affect their decision-making more often due to strong signals from their amygdala to other areas in the brain.
Were we designed to be the way we are? Were we born with brains destined for mental disorder or genius? Was your classmate always ruled by her emotions, or did she slowly sculpt her amygdala into what it has become? Your connectome was first developed according to your genome- that lovely code that determines what goes where and who your initial self is. It ballparks how high your intelligence will become by determining if your brain signaling uses short and efficient pathways or unnecessarily long ones. It establishes if you’re autistic or susceptible to schizophrenia. It grows the interdependent electric network of neurons that holds your concepts, emotions, decisions, memories and future plans. However, your experiences- and you- also have a say in all of this.
“Your experiences can change your connectome- and that’s why every connectome is unique,” said Dr. Sebastian Seung, the creator of HCP. “The connectome is where nature meets nurture.” He believes- as most neuroscientists do - that the electric activity in the brain can affect the pathways of the connectome. This electric activity underlies every thought, action and reaction to experiences. It can be caused by an external stimulus or your internal decisions. Some large external events cause noticeable changes. For example, depending on the change in your amygdala, your interpretation of a car accident might make you a more conscientious driver or a more anxious one. However, where Dr. Seung believes that “I am my connectome,” a large number of scientists- myself included- believe that “I am more than my connectome.” We can also intentionally affect our own connectome through repeated behaviors. Your classmate may have simply let go of control over her emotions until emotion became her first reaction. However, she could break that pattern by stepping back from situations that trigger negative or overblown emotions until that control becomes her new natural reaction.
Not every attempt to change will impact your connectome. I’m sure you can think of several times you said, “From here on out, I am never doing my homework at the last minute again!” and then found yourself scrambling to finish an essay five hours before it’s due. Although we have the power to affect our connectome, we still have to play by its rules. Just like physical exercise, one must properly condition our preferred neural circuits into becoming stronger. For example, calming yourself down whenever anxious will help you control your anxiety, but finding a meditation regimen that works for you could make you a calmer person all around. Studying for ten hours straight will help you learn, but studying for two hours five days in a row will create stronger memories. Knowing your own brain- such as whether you’re a visual or kinesthetic learner- could make it easier for you to affect your connectome.
Despite our differences, most connectomes still have the same instruction manuals. Knowing more about connectomes will help your changes- and the information is already available to you! Completed HCP studies, at http://www.humanconnectomeproject.org, such as the connectome differences between twins, are waiting to be read. Different tools such as the new BrainNavigator at http://www.brainnav.com/home can instead guide you through brain structures in 3D, showing how we’re put together and how structures like our emotion and memory centers affect each other. Your brain is waiting to be known and molded. Are you ready to be more than your connectome?
Written by Jennifer Cheng
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