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The better we know how a machine works, the more likely we are to understand the ways and means of fixing any troubles that it may cause. What if that machine happens to be the human brain? That’s where the complexity begins.
To study almost any organ in the human body, there are both invasive and non-invasive techniques that doctors employ. But, when it comes to the human brain, studies aren’t available in as much detail as doctors would require. It is to bridge this gap that experts from various domains have come together and established a ‘Brain Centre’ at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras in Chennai. WION spoke to the key resource persons at this newly inaugurated centre, to understand their work and its applications.
According to those working on this project, the work being performed at the ‘Brain Centre’, is an intersection of Neuroscience, Engineering, Medicine and advanced computing. It involves mapping the human brain (post mortem) in incredibly high resolution, at the cellular level. Simply put, it is like a mapping company taking billions of photographs of various places, streets, buildings, terrain on earth and combining them to make a digital world map.
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When queried about the purpose of such research, Prof. K. Vijay Raghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, explained to WION that scientific understanding of the human brain (in terms of diseases) has been largely gained by looking at it from the outside and by testing certain drugs. “To understand the human brain better, we need to look at it from inside” he added on how the new facility would perform anatomy at high-resolution.
Approved in February 2020, the new facility at IIT Madras was brought to fruition amid the pandemic and is now at a fully functional level. Over the last eight months, the facility has performed high-resolution imagery on three human brains (from cadavers), while mapping is to be commenced shortly. Over the next one year, they are expected to perform imaging of ten human brains.
“High-resolution imaging of the brain is a complex procedure that requires the highest amount of technical precision, takes months of work and also consumes hundreds of thousands of gigabytes of storage space” said Prof. Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras, and Head, Brain Centre.
While imaging and mapping are half the battle, medical studies from the rest. “Rabies, Encephalitis, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s are all conditions that affect the brain. Unlike other organs, it is unusual to perform a biopsy (removal of tissue for analysis) on the brain. But, with a high-resolution digital reconstruction of the entire brain, we can identify how the diseases manifest and affect different regions, even at a cellular level” Dr. George Varghese, Professor, CMC Vellore told WION.
At the intial level, the researchers have been working on imaging the brains of stillborns. Later, they will move to complex projects that involve brains from adult cadavers. As they progress, IIT Madras plans to train hundreds of undergraduate and postgraduate students at this Centre in neuroscience and computing, machine learning techniques on cutting-edge brain data.
Inaugurated on Saturday, the ‘Brain Centre’ at IIT Madras is supported by Mr. Kris Gopalakrishnan and Mrs. Sudha Gopalakrishnan. Known as the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre, it is named after the wife of IIT Madras Alumnus Kris Gopalakrishnan, who is the co-founder of Indian IT services giant Infosys.
The facility was inaugurated in the presence of Prof. K. VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, IIT Madras Distinguished Alumnus Shri Kris Gopalakrishnan, Shrimati Sudha Gopalakrishnan, and Prof. Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam of IIT Madras, who will be heading this Centre. This state-of-the-art Centre aims to become a world-renowned research centre, generating unprecedented human brain data, scientific output and technology tools.
The better we know how a machine works, the more likely we are to understand the ways and means of fixing any troubles that it may cause. What if that machine happens to be the human brain? That’s where the complexity begins. To study almost any organ in the human body, there are both invasive and non-invasive techniques that doctors employ. But, when it comes to the human brain, studies aren’t available in as much detail as doctors would require. It is to bridge this gap that experts from various domains have come together and established a ‘Brain Centre’ at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras in Chennai. WION spoke to the key resource persons at this newly inaugurated centre, to understand their work and its applications. According to those working on this project, the work being performed at the ‘Brain Centre’, is an intersection of Neuroscience, Engineering, Medicine and advanced computing. It involves mapping the human brain (post mortem) in incredibly high resolution, at the cellular level. Simply put, it is like a mapping company taking billions of photographs of various places, streets, buildings, terrain on earth and combining them to make a digital world map. Also read | Gulmarg hosts national snowshoe championship When queried about the purpose of such research, Prof. K. Vijay Raghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, explained to WION that scientific understanding of the human brain (in terms of diseases) has been largely gained by looking at it from the outside and by testing certain drugs. “To understand the human brain better, we need to look at it from inside” he added on how the new facility would perform anatomy at high-resolution. Approved in February 2020, the new facility at IIT Madras was brought to fruition amid the pandemic and is now at a fully functional level. Over the last eight months, the facility has performed high-resolution imagery on three human brains (from cadavers), while mapping is to be commenced shortly. Over the next one year, they are expected to perform imaging of ten human brains. “High-resolution imaging of the brain is a complex procedure that requires the highest amount of technical precision, takes months of work and also consumes hundreds of thousands of gigabytes of storage space” said Prof. Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras, and Head, Brain Centre. While imaging and mapping are half the battle, medical studies from the rest. “Rabies, Encephalitis, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s are all conditions that affect the brain. Unlike other organs, it is unusual to perform a biopsy (removal of tissue for analysis) on the brain. But, with a high-resolution digital reconstruction of the entire brain, we can identify how the diseases manifest and affect different regions, even at a cellular level” Dr. George Varghese, Professor, CMC Vellore told WION. At the intial level, the researchers have been working on imaging the brains of stillborns. Later, they will move to complex projects that involve brains from adult cadavers. As they progress, IIT Madras plans to train hundreds of undergraduate and postgraduate students at this Centre in neuroscience and computing, machine learning techniques on cutting-edge brain data. Inaugurated on Saturday, the ‘Brain Centre’ at IIT Madras is supported by Mr. Kris Gopalakrishnan and Mrs. Sudha Gopalakrishnan. Known as the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre, it is named after the wife of IIT Madras Alumnus Kris Gopalakrishnan, who is the co-founder of Indian IT services giant Infosys. The facility was inaugurated in the presence of Prof. K. VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, IIT Madras Distinguished Alumnus Shri Kris Gopalakrishnan, Shrimati Sudha Gopalakrishnan, and Prof. Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam of IIT Madras, who will be heading this Centre. This state-of-the-art Centre aims to become a world-renowned research centre, generating unprecedented human brain data, scientific output and technology tools.