Virtual Brain

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/19/science/bringing-a-virtual-brain-to-life.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&ref=science

Dr. Henry Markram and his research team have been working on a remarkable, yet controversial, project. For the last few months they have been feeding data into a giant supercomputer in the basement of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. The four vending-machine-sized boxes each hold thousands of microchips that are each programmed to act like brain cell. Cables connect all the microchips to each other. In 2006 they turned on their “Blue Brain” project and watched as nearly 10,000 virtual neurons buzzed with a new life. In the midst of all of the electrical signals sped across the cables, electrical activity started to resemble real brain waves. Dr. Markram then decided that making an entire representation of the brain is possible in his lifetime. However the brain contains nearly 100 billion neurons with over 100 trillion total connections, all organized into biological molecules. This is a huge undertaking that the likes of which has never been attempted. In 2009 he proposed the Human Brain Project, which would bring together more than 150 institutions around the world to work on this project. Many critics of this project have raised questions about the project. Many say that while the team made a computer simulation of something, there is no way to show it was a brain slice and not just random activity. Others state that it is way too premature to invest in something like this when we haven't even discovered the main principles of the brain.

The Blue Brain

When I read into this article I was fascinated by it. For something as close to us as our brain we know almost nothing about the true functions of it. Dr. Markram began his career in medical school but soon realized that he learned nothing about what happens to the brain when all of these prescription drugs are used. He soon started his career in neuroscience after dropping out of medical school. His son was diagnosed with autism shortly after his work on the Blue Brain had started. The hope that he has for a working computer model of the brain is that people will be able to run tests and simulated drug tests on it to find new ways to help mental illnesses. The applications of this would be remarkable, being able to help all sorts of people and urging in many new discoveries, but are we ready is the question many people continue to bring up. Do we know enough about the brain? I personally hope that the neuroscience community is able to continue this project despite the doubts because the rewards for success could be world changing.