The researchers also examined physical features such as cortical thickness, functional differences (e.g., areas that light up when people listen to stories), and connections to other regions. They then pooled the data on activity, anatomy, and other features and trained a computer to link them to specific subregions in the brain. Next they tested 210 more people and found the computer identified the regions with 96.6 percent accuracy. They can now map a person’s connectome in about an hour.
Although the map shows only the superhighways in the brain, it’s still an important achievement. It could help illustrate why certain pathways are crucial to brain function, for instance, while others are less so. Knowing the critical connections could help surgeons with planning an operation, for example, and neuroscientists and psychologists could use the information for treatment. The question is: how useful is the technology in actual practice?
Location, Location, Location
Helen Mayberg, M.D. is a professor of psychiatry, neurology, and radiology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia who has been developing methods to treat depression using deep brain stimulation. Previously she used MRI to help locate critical nodes in patients and know their connection to other brain areas. “Even 1,000 high resolution scans cannot be as precise,” she says of the novel technology.
Having a map allows physicians to pinpoint important brain regions. “The connectome is at the core,” she says. “Whether it’s Parkinson’s, depression, or OCD, the ‘where’ question is critical.” She adds, “The Human Connectome Project enabled the technology development, the collecting of huge data sets, and the availability of pristine data that everybody can use.” With it, she can ask, “Why do some people get better faster than others?”
Ultimately, the goal is to find what works best for each person. “Different targets in the brain may be important for different people,” says Mayberg. A diagram of someone’s wiring may enable doctors to match treatment to the state of their brain at a given point in time.
It’s still unclear, however, how people’s connections — or lack of them — express themselves. “Disruptions in connectivity are not going to explain everything in human behavior,” says Barch. In addition, the map is only a static image, like a snapshot. It cannot tell us in which direction our thoughts flow. For instance, are messages generated in one area, sent to another, and then back again?
It’s not the final word. But the excitement of scientists is understandable. More is sure to be revealed as they continue to navigate new territories in the mysterious brain. Instead of the end of exploring — it may be just the beginning.
This article was first published in Brain World Magazine’s Spring 2018 issue.
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