He human brain it’s a organ that medical science still cannot be fully deciphered, however, there is progress To learn more about the functioning of this.
This was announced by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in the University Gazettesince after 10 years, the Human Brain Project (Human Brain Project HBP)for its acronym in English, “one of the most arduous scientific challenges,” according to the university.
In the investigation Five institutions from 19 countries of the European Uniondedicated to the study of the morphology, structure and brain functions.
What is the Human Brain Project about?
Luis Tovar y Romo, researcher at the Institute of Cellular Physiology of the UNAMexplained that the project consisted of developing a three dimensional map of the brain human from studying 10 human brains obtained post mortem and putting them together as a puzzle to identify neural connections.
“The scientists of the BPH created several tools that will allow us to better understand the morphology, the structure and functions of the human brain. One of the most striking is undoubtedly the three-dimensional atlas of said organ (…) How did they do it? From studies microanatomical and developed technology expresslythey dismantled all the parts, even the smallest ones, 10 human brains (five from men and five from women) obtained post mortemanalyzed them and, then, as if they were puzzles, they reconstructed each of them to integrate a three-dimensional map,” said the researcher.
How will the Human Brain Project contribute to health?
The information collected with the Human Brain Project would allow us to understand some characteristics pathophysiological of people suffering from disorders such as schizophrenia, autism or obsessive-compulsive.
I will also open the possibility of correcting the consequences of some accident that impacts an area of the brain and that affects some function or part of the body.
“As is known, in people who, for an anatomical reason or an accident, suffer any degree of Loss of sight, the connection between the eyes and the visual cortex is broken. For this reason, it is already planned to develop a technological interface and resort to a brain implant to stimulate the neurons that would normally turn on when a light stimulus occurs in the retinas. In this way, an attempt would be made to restore said connection so that they could recover, to some extent, the visual ability“added Luis Tovar y Romo.
He BPH It is an advance that will continue to give results over the years and that will be useful for the neuroscientists They can get more information about the functioning and the enigmas that the brain still holds.
“Over time, it will allow us to develop technologies that facilitate the understanding of others.” brain processes and, with it, that of our own Human nature“, concluded Tovar and Romo.