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Mapping the human connectome
Source: Neurosurgery 2012 July;71(1):1-5.
Author: Toga AW, Clark KA, Thompson PM, Shattuck DW & Van Horn JD
PubMed ID: 22705717
Abstract:
The human nervous system consists of on the order of 100 billion neurons that are interconnected to form a relatively small number of functional neural networks that underlie behavior and cognition. The elemental beauty of this system was elegantly described in the work of Ramón y Cajal and others well over a century ago. Since that time, despite the intense effort that has gone into elucidating the structure and function of neural systems, we do not currently have a comprehensive map of the complete network connectivity structure of the brain of any species, with the notable exception of a worm, Caenorhabditis elegans.1 In humans, our basic understanding of network connectivity is largely based on painstaking neuroanatomical efforts conducted at a microscopic scale.2,3 These maps are derived histologically, and are sparsely observed and incomplete. The connection matrix of the human brain, ie, the human “connectome,” represents an indispensable foundation for basic and applied neurobiological research. The axon of a neuron in one region of the brain extends to another region following a particular anatomic course or trajectory. The ensemble over all brain neurons of axonal origin, termination, and trajectory relative to other structures defines the connectome, at least from an anatomic point of view. Functional networks are certainly served by these anatomic substrates but may involve multiple overlapping systems carrying quantifiably different forms of information to other parts of the brain for integration, further processing, and resulting behavioral action. Brain function depends on the communication among neurons organized within local as well as widely distributed circuits, leading to a vast and extraordinarily complicated set of interconnected brain systems. Human connectomics explores the structural and functional organization and properties of these neural connections to define the architecture of the brain. For the foreseeable future, a comprehensive description of the complete connectome of even a single human brain might be viewed as unattainable. But the science of connectomics is devoted to filling in the gaps, with a variety of imaging and other modalities. Building on traditional neuroscience techniques, the Human Connectome Project (HCP) (http://www.humanconnectomeproject.org/) uses novel imaging technologies and mathematical analysis methods and databases to organize, relate, and share the derived information. With support from the NIH Blueprint program (http://neuroscienceblueprint.nih.gov/), researchers at multiple institutions are rapidly performing the physical, data processing, informatics, and inferential challenges of conducting human connectomics research. This multi-site effort, in concert with similar efforts elsewhere, seeks to obtain connectomic data sets and make them openly available for the expert and lay public to explore and examine using conventional web browsers, or to study them in greater detail using more advanced interactive tools.
Source: Neurosurgery 2012 July;71(1):1-5.
Author: Toga AW, Clark KA, Thompson PM, Shattuck DW & Van Horn JD
PubMed ID: 22705717
Abstract:
The human nervous system consists of on the order of 100 billion neurons that are interconnected to form a relatively small number of functional neural networks that underlie behavior and cognition. The elemental beauty of this system was elegantly described in the work of Ramón y Cajal and others well over a century ago. Since that time, despite the intense effort that has gone into elucidating the structure and function of neural systems, we do not currently have a comprehensive map of the complete network connectivity structure of the brain of any species, with the notable exception of a worm, Caenorhabditis elegans.1 In humans, our basic understanding of network connectivity is largely based on painstaking neuroanatomical efforts conducted at a microscopic scale.2,3 These maps are derived histologically, and are sparsely observed and incomplete. The connection matrix of the human brain, ie, the human “connectome,” represents an indispensable foundation for basic and applied neurobiological research. The axon of a neuron in one region of the brain extends to another region following a particular anatomic course or trajectory. The ensemble over all brain neurons of axonal origin, termination, and trajectory relative to other structures defines the connectome, at least from an anatomic point of view. Functional networks are certainly served by these anatomic substrates but may involve multiple overlapping systems carrying quantifiably different forms of information to other parts of the brain for integration, further processing, and resulting behavioral action. Brain function depends on the communication among neurons organized within local as well as widely distributed circuits, leading to a vast and extraordinarily complicated set of interconnected brain systems. Human connectomics explores the structural and functional organization and properties of these neural connections to define the architecture of the brain. For the foreseeable future, a comprehensive description of the complete connectome of even a single human brain might be viewed as unattainable. But the science of connectomics is devoted to filling in the gaps, with a variety of imaging and other modalities. Building on traditional neuroscience techniques, the Human Connectome Project (HCP) (http://www.humanconnectomeproject.org/) uses novel imaging technologies and mathematical analysis methods and databases to organize, relate, and share the derived information. With support from the NIH Blueprint program (http://neuroscienceblueprint.nih.gov/), researchers at multiple institutions are rapidly performing the physical, data processing, informatics, and inferential challenges of conducting human connectomics research. This multi-site effort, in concert with similar efforts elsewhere, seeks to obtain connectomic data sets and make them openly available for the expert and lay public to explore and examine using conventional web browsers, or to study them in greater detail using more advanced interactive tools.