Science & Technology > Body and mind sciences >
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Human Brain: The Next Frontier |
| Paper ID: |
429 |
Last updated: 31/01/2012 09:08:31
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Where: Global |
When: 3-10yrs |
How Fast: Years |
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| Keywords: |
cognitive, neurosciences, brain research, computational neuroscience, functional imaging, fMRI, PET, neuroinformatics, neuromorphic, engineering, |
Summary  |
| The next decade is likely to witness a revolution in our understanding of the human brain, with implications for virtually every domain of human activity, from mental health to software design and academic performance to real-life decision-making. |
Discussion |
We may be in the very early stages of a revolution in our understanding of the human brain, similar in many ways to the early stages of genomics research. In a span of 50 years, scientists went from discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA to decoding the human genome, creating a blueprint or map of the human organism. In the next 10 years we are likely to map the human brain in much greater detail and develop a much better understanding of how it functions. A "field theory" of the brain may emerge, drawing the many clues elicited in recent years into a single account of the brain.
Neuroscientists agree that it is increasingly apparent how little we know about how the brain works (it was only in 2008 that scientists managed to record the activity going on within more than one neuron in an awake animal). But they also agree that our knowledge is expanding at an enormous rate. Developments in several technologies and scientific disciplines have the potential to enable further advances in brain research and bring about closer integration between disciplines:
Imaging - Imaging technology such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET), and others increasingly enable researchers to visualize ongoing cognitive activity at a resolution of a few hundred thousand cells. Since fMRI is a noninvasive technology, researchers can observe changes in live human subjects as they are questioned about their perceptions or while performing cognitive tasks. Future developments in imaging technology could permit changes in brain structure and function associated with normal and pathological behaviors to be followed at a cellular level. Functional neuroimaging methods could help us identify, with increasing precision, alterations in brain function that take place even in the absence of discernible changes in brain structure. This has the potential to effectively allow the visualisation of thought.
Computation - Without the revolution in information technology, enabling us to handle vast quantities of newly generated brain data, we would not be able to enjoy the fruits of other new technologies affording us multiple windows onto the nervous system. Computational neuroscientists can already correlate studies of the brain with the nature and amount of information necessary to perform cognitive functions such as perception, memory, decision making, motivation, and learning. New computational capabilities (for example through the Biomedical Informatics Research Network, BIRN, which links researchers across countries) will enable scientists to extract far more information from raw biological data than ever before, with increased ability to store and access the data, perform sophisticated analyses and simulations, and create visualizations that reveal underlying patterns of activity. Advances in computational neuroscience are likely to complement and enrich findings from the field of systems neuroscience, developing our understanding of brain function further.
Genetics and genomics - The results of the Human Genome Project, combined with great progress in genomics and proteomics over the past decade, will provide a vast amount of information to help researchers identify how the brain works at the genetic and cellular levels. Researchers will be able to study a broad range of fundamental questions about genetic influences on mental processes and disease over the coming years as human genome sequences become available. Genetic studies of addiction, for example, looks set to be one of the first to produce results. These sequences could make genetic manipulation of model organisms easier and more precise, in turn potentially enabling detailed mapping of basic activities within and between brain cells.
Advances in brain research are likely to lead to a better understanding of a number of psychiatric illnesses and their treatment. Progress in basic research into the motor system and neurobiology of disorders such as Parkinson's Disease, for example, is leading to a renaissance of neurosurgical techniques,in particular deep brain stimulation. It is very likely to fuel the emergence of ‘neurocognoceuticals’ - lifestyle drugs for enhancing or augmenting cognitive function or creating desirable psychological/emotional states, a trend that is likely to explode until the side-effects of, for example, chemically-aided sleep avoidance, emerge. With better understanding of the processes underlying learning, educational programs tailored to fit different learning patterns could be developed and the new principles of neural computation and behavior are likely to make a major contribution to the development of future software and other intelligent technologies. This increased understanding of brain function, occurring at the same time as rapid developments across a range of biological, engineering and computational subjects, is likely to lead to quick progress towards the development of brain-computer interfaces, enabling humans to restore or enhance their physical and ultimately mental functions. Such possibilities raise ethical issues to do with safety, fairness and authenticity.
Projects aimed at harnessing the developments above to create a digital version of the human brain include the Blue Brain Project (see Early Indicators). Such an achievement will provide a novel model for disease and possible interventions and may give insights into improving educational methods, the effects of social and behavioural interventions, the nature of consciousness and the scope for manipulating thought, an early example of which is neuromarketing. |
Implications |
* Evolution of neuroinformatics and neuromorphic engineering
* Renaissance of psychosurgery
* Creation of new mental health tools
* Emergence of neurocognoceuticals
* Move to more personalized education
* Shift in boundaries of 'normality' and 'authenticity' |
Early indicators |
* Progress in the Blue Brain Project, to create a detailed computer-based model of the entire brain, which was launched in Switzerland in 2005 [bluebrain.epfl.ch/
* Recent estimate by NeuroInsights, a San Francisco research firm, that 300 companies worldwide are developing brain-related products for everything from sleep and anxiety disorders to multiple sclerosis and stroke, with much of the focus on finding treatments for ailments likely to hit aging Baby Boomers
* Growth of neuromarketing (the study of brain responses to products and marketing messages), as exemplified by the use of brain imaging by UCLA brain researchers to understand how the brains of Democrats and Republicans differ in their response to campaign ads
* Growth of neuroethics -- societies, journals and university departments
* Use of Modafinil in lieu of sleep
* Pharmaceuticals and devices for psychiatric and age-related mental disorders enter the market.
* Various mental/cognitive/emotional enhancements and prosthetics are increasingly accepted.
* Social debates are waged about what is natural versus artificial.
* A new generation of neuroimaging devices for lie detection and detection of various types of emotional/cognitive states is developed.
* Neuromarketing techniques are used by corporations and political parties for consumer targeting.
* Leaders by region:
US, Switzerland, UK, Australia, China |
Drivers & Inhibitors |
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Parallels & Precedents |
* Evolution of genomics research and resulting advances in decoding the human genome
* Enablers/drivers: New generation of imaging technologies
* Advances in computation and processing power
* Aging of the population
* New PET markers [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] |
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Sources |
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| The contents of this paper were provided by the Outsights-Ipsos MORI Partnership. Any views expressed are independent of government and do not constitute government policy. |
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