Brainwave – The Irish Epilepsy Association – Shedding a light on epilepsy

Research in neuroscience produces vast amounts of important data and understanding of brain function is improving all the time. A European computer modeling project aims to incorporate the key information within a representation of the brain. The Human Brain Project aims to build a facility to integrate existing neuroscientific knowledge into computer models which will attempt to simulate the entire functioning of the brain. Currently, there are thirteen research centres, hospitals and universities leading the project which is being carried out at hundreds of other centres world wide. Models constructed will reflect the entire cortex right down to individual neurons, and further insights will be gained into the complexity of brain structure, electrical circuit relationships between structure and function.

This project builds on the work of the Blue Brain Project led by Henry Markram in Lausanne, which has laid the foundations for brain simulation since 2005 and there are a number of related subprojects such as Cajal Blue Brain in Spain and others based in the US, Britain and Israel. Markram was quoted in 2009 as saying a simulation of the human brain could be built in ten years from then.

The Human Brain Project presents a mammoth challenge given that currently it takes the power of one computer to simulate the function of one neuron and the brain contains billions of neurons. The project will use multi level simulation where prominently active neurons are highlighted to deal with this simulation challenge. The brain is such a complex organ that even with this approach the level of simulation required will take a computer a thousand times more powerful than todays most powerful computer. A team of experts in supercomputing lead the Human Brain Project to develop more powerful computes to carry out the simulation required.

In the longer term the project has the potential to harness the powerful simulations to further understanding of brain function and neurological disorders including Epilepsy, Parkinsons, Autism and Alzheimers Disease and it is hoped it will provide a mechanism also for testing new therapies. 

Source : www.humanbrainproject.eu