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| Photo from: http://graphikos197.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/brain_map.jpg |
The brain is one of the largest
organs and the most complex organ in the human body, and perhaps the most
remarkable. It is made up of more than 100 billion nerves that communicate in
trillions of connections. Since the brain is very complex it has not been
completely investigated.
The map above is just an
illustration of the brain when it is mapped. The objective of this map is just
simply to show the connections and patterns among the billions of neurons. And
if we notice, we can imagine this map as a “transit” map since it shows
connections and patterns. The cells may serve as the “vehicles” and the nervous
system as the “pathways” in the ordinary transit map. The problem I see in this
map is that it is hardly to understand without background knowledge of an
ordinary reader. If you can notice, there are some symbols on the map but there
were no explanations about it.
According to Alex Konrad, author
of the website where I got this map, the scientists think that the key to
curing many diseases may come only when they fully understand the human brain. Since
they think that way, they have to spend the next years trying to map the mind,
zooming in on single neurons to study each one's genetic information, shape,
and electrical signals. Also according to the author, to enable to do those
things, the scientists may use robotic tools. One of robotic tools that may
help the scientists are the one called “auto patcher”. Auto patcher was
developed by Edward Boyden and Georgia Tech's Craig Forest. By using this tool,
scientists/researchers will be able to turn off individual cells and plot
patterns with its neighbors. The robot can check neurons much faster than
humans, who need extensive training to do the process manually. Diagnosing the
breakdowns within a neuron will allow for targeted gene therapy.
Blogpost by: Aisha Macud
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