7 breakthroughs in brain research

Ascolot#2 2014

Idan Segev The Hebrew University

Remarkable capabilities of the Human Brain

(Creativity, Thoughts, Language,Religion … )

The CENTRAL challenge for 21st century

– Repairing Neurological and Psychiatric Diseases

1. We know of 560 such

diseases

2. Growing with aging

3. Tremendous suffering

+ cost to society

4. NO repair – no

understanding

5. WE MUST

UNDERSTAND for

Repairing

The three Mega Brain projects worldwide (and more)

1. The MindScope (Allen Institute) – $300M

2. The Human Brain Project (EU) - 1B Euro

3. The B.R.A.I.N (USA) – $400M?

4. Japan – Monkey brain

5. Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (Hebrew University) -

$150M

6. Sainsbury Welcome Center (UCL) – 200M Pounds (first 5 years) ………….

The IBT and BRAIN prize by President Peres

Clearly – we are at an historical moment for the brain

1. Brain Blossom Worldwide

The Jerusalem Brain

(Norman Foster)

The Brain building in Jerusalem

(By Lord Norman Foster)

• RECENT BREAKTHROUGHS

(*) mapping the human genome transcription (Allen Inst.)

1. The basis for learning in the brain

2. Newborn cells in the brain

3. Optogenetic (activating the brain with light)

4. Sensory substitution

5. Treating Parkinsons’

6. Brain machine interface

7. Modeling the brain in the computer (understanding diseases) – The Human Brain Project

1. The plastic brain

Genetic staining of living brains + a new optical probe 2-photons microscope

for viewing plastic process at the synaptic level

The“Brainbow” – a new method to study the fine anatomy of the brain

The Color of Thoughts – Street Exhibition (Viviana) –

at the street of Corso Vittorio Emanuele in Milan 2011

Prof. Adi Mizrach - with 2 the photon microscope

An optical voyage into the living brain

New synaptic connections

are formed during learning

in living brain

2.Watching newborn (stem) cells growing in the adult

brain

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Frontiers 3: OPTOGENETICS Frontier 3. Optogenetics

Optical stimulation (and recording) from single neurons in the living brain

Channel Rhodopsin opens with blue light

Causes spikes

Natronomonas pharaonis activated with yellow light

Prevents spikes

Light-activated (~100 neurons) controlling mouse behavior

Courtesy of Karel Svoboda, Janelia Farm

4. Sensory Substitution for the

Blind Prof. Amir Amedi

Sensory substitution for the blind: Can we use sound?

The EyeCane

Advantages:

• Distance estimation – up to 10 meter (vs. 1m with white cane)

• Distance estimation – any height (vs. 0-20cm from floor with white cane)

• Easy to learn, almost instant use.

• Light, comfortable, you don’t bump into individuals and objects (might be one reason why only 10% of blind in US and UK use white cane)

The

Basal Ganglia Normal

Parkinson

Prof. Hagai Bergman

5. Fighting Parkinson

Deep Brain Stimulation (HU)

Parkinson - a wrong electrical code in the brain

The

Basal Ganglia

Fighting Parkinson

Deep Brain Stimulation

Parkinson - a wrong electrical code in the brain

Normal

Parkinson

Prof. Hagai Bergman (HU)

Implanting electrode in patient’s brain (fully alert)

Deep Brain Stimulation

Patient: Male, 58 years old

PD Eight years (with extreme on-off)

Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem

(For ameliorating Parkison’s symptoms)

(Operation by Hagai Bergman and Zvi Israel)

6. Brain-activated robot arm

From Brain Activity to Moving a Robotic Arm

Directly from the brain

MI

4. Moving robot arm directly from the brain

(BMI)

Prof. Eilon Vaadia

Courtesy of Andrew Schwartz, Univ. Pittsburgh

Monkey’s brain activity used for self feeding with a robotic arm

Future challenges

1. Develop chronic brain nano-chip +

“dust sensors” 2 . Develop telemetric communication

3 . Develop real-time signal

processing methods

(including sound

processing)

4 .“ closing the loop”

Stimulation + recording

together

7. The Blue Brain Project

Simulating the Brain Markram (Lausanne) + NEW

Sakmann (Heidelberg)

Martin (Zurich)

SPAIN - Blue Brain Node

The Blue-Gene IBM Computer +team

10,000 processors; 0.05 Peta Flops/sec

Prof. Idan Segev

The Blue Brain Project

Simulating the Brain Markram (Lausanne) + NEW

Sakmann (Heidelberg)

Martin (Zurich)

SPAIN - Blue Brain Node

The Blue-Gene IBM Computer +team

10,000 processors; 0.05 Peta Flops/sec

Prof. Idan Segev

The cortical column

The “inventful” building block of the mammalian cortex

(1mm3 ) Size of a pin head

10,000 cells, 100 million connections (synapses)

SPIKES - The electrical language of Neurons

Modeling electrical activity of neurons

 

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¶2V x,t( )¶x2

- rmcm¶V x,t( )

¶t-V x,t( ) = 0

Using our Multiple Objective Optimization (MOO) method we can provide true-to-life model of all cell types

Experiment

Model

The Blue Brain (IBM) Computer

20,000 processors, million*million operations/second

100,000 REAL CELLS (10 COLUMNS)

So Lets start connect model components

10,000 model neurons; 1 billion model synapses

FIRST-EVER COMPUTER VOYAGE INTO THE BRAIN

Simulating (towards repairing) Neurological and Psychiatric Diseases

“Autistic” cortex

Human Brain Project (HBP) understanding the brain, its diseases & deriving future technologies

Screening Informatics

Brain Probes

Diseasome

Modeling

Simulation Supercomputing Visualization Analytics

Computation

Neuromorphics

Neurorobotics

Education

Society Coordination Neuroscience

The Neuroscope

2030! 2013

The Future of the Blue Brain Project

2005 - 0.05 PF/s - 0.002PB 20’000 times more powerful than today!

Time-line for BBP/HBP

Face-to-Public

1. The Brain Circle and the “Color of thoughts ideas”

2. The MAGID lecture series in brain

3. The Heller lecture series

4. “Synapses, neurons and brains” (Coursera, 60,000 students)

5. “Brain and Cinema” – Jerusalem Cinimateque

6. Art & Brain encounter (100 “artists, book $10K/each –

fellowships)

Toda Rabba