Brain Exploration

The brain, much like a map of the world is carved into invisible territories. Each area has a responsibility and function: some groups of neurons become active when we smell a familiar meal and others when we exercise.

In July 2015, in what many experts are calling a milestone in neuroscience, researchers published a spectacular map of the brain, detailing nearly 100 previously unknown regions. Scientists created the map with advanced scanners and computers running artificial intelligence programs that “learned” to identify the brain’s hidden regions from vast amounts of data collected from hundreds of test subjects, a far more sophisticated and broader effort than had been previously attempted.

Scientists will be using the map to track the development of young brains and to look for changes caused by disorders like Alzheimer’s disease.