Exploring the Brain With Self-Driving Cars
Computational tools used in self-driving cars can help us understand how our brains are wired.
A brain of full of data
Understanding the biology of the brain is na small task. The blob of cells inside our skull has amply been called the most complex object in the universe. With good reason.
When you are looking at billions of neurons exchanging information with each other through billions of synapses, the amount of data you’ll need to process to understand what’s going on is mind-boggling.
Increasingly detailed imaging methods are improving the resolution in both space and time of investigations into the brain. This enables us to start looking at the level of single cells and their connections, which provides a strong impetus to the field of connectomics. The aim of connectomics is to map the connections within an organisms’ nervous system.
Better resolution = more detail = good for connectomics.
But also: better resolution = more data.
Fortunately, the advances in bio-imaging are mirrored by the advances in data handling and processing. Not in the least thanks to the progress in machine learning and artificial intelligence.
