KOGLIST re: Human Brain Project

Date: Wed, 23 Mar 1994 14:32:29 -0500 Reply-To: PSYCHE Discussion Forum <PSYCHE-D%NKI.BITNET(a)uga.cc.uga.edu> Sender: PSYCHE Discussion Forum <PSYCHE-D%NKI.BITNET(a)uga.cc.uga.edu> From: PATRICK WILKEN <X91007(a)pitvax.xx.rmit.edu.au> Subject: Human Brain Project X-To: psyche-d(a)nki.bitnet To: Multiple recipients of list PSYCHE-D <PSYCHE-D%NKI.BITNET(a)uga.cc.uga.edu> From: George Buckner <grb(a)nccibm1.bitnet> The following was originally published in the Winter 1994 *Touch*, a publication of the Kennedy Krieger Institute, and is reprinted here with permission. Writer: Kelly White Editor: Roni Gross The World's Atlas of the Human Brain *Mapping the Brain and its Functions* In a major scientific milestone, neuroscience and computer technology are merging to uncover the mysteries of the most complicated organ in the human body --the brain. A major contributor to this undertaking is Allan L. Reiss, M.D., Director of the Behavioral Genetics and Neuroimaging Research Center at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at The Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Reiss is leading a team that is part of a major collaborative effort to develop advanced computer tools that will enable scientists worldwide to study and manipulate detailed graphic images of the human brain. Called the Human Brain Project, the overal goal is to develop a standardized computer data base to create a central pool of information to assemble the puzzle pieces of the brain. *Sophisticated Software to Foster International Research* The software will be available without cost to research institutions around the world. Dr. Reiss is collaborating with basic and clinical neuroscientists from The Johns Hopkins University, University of Rochester, Standford University, University of Toronto, and Tufts University. While neuroscientists have compiled a considerable amount of knowledge about the brain, understanding the specific structure- function associations, as Dr. Reiss attests, remains at an early stage. Lacking is a comprehensive, coordinated approach to linking these bodies of knowledge. Amassing and analyzing the acquired information is critical to discovering new findings about the brain's functions. Likening this project to the Human Genome Project, in which DNA mapping was achieved, Dr. Reiss says, "Mapping the human brain is somewhat more complex than mapping DNA, because the human genome is more standard in its fundamental structure and function. By comparison, understanding how the structures of the brain interrelate to underlyiing human behavior and development is at a very, very early level." *Infinite Benefits to Neurobiology of Children* According to Dr. Reiss, many brain dysfunctions are currently described as "disorders" or "syndromes" as their specific causes are unidentified. For example, many different causes of mental retardation make the diagnosis heterogeneous in nature. Yet, all mental retardation originates from brain dysfunctions. Brain mapping will help to locate specific areas important to learning and behavior, providing further understanding of the underlying reasons for the disorders and giving some insight on specifically targeted treatment strategies. Other disorders, such as Fragile X syndrome, are known to be homogeneous in cause as scientists have pinpointed their origins. Brain mapping will facilitate accuracy and expediency in identifying, understanding and developing treatment strategies for those diseases which are often difficult to diagnose. And, ultimately, for disorders such as autism, hyperactivity and mental retardation, the implications of a brain mapping data base can be far-reaching and the benefits innumerable, as scientists will be able to link the many intricacies involved in brain dysfunction. *Project to Progress in Phases* However, reaching this level is not a simple task. It is a long-term endeavor to be conducted in two phases. While Phase 2 will involve the actual construction of complex digital and electronic resources, Phase 1 --already in progress --is a multi- year projected plan to study its feasibility. With funding from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Dr. Reiss is tackling Phase 1 Feasibility Studies. "This is really the initial stage of attempting to figure out what methods are going to be used to map the function and structure of the human brain," Dr. Reiss explains. Dr. Reiss looks at Phase 1 of the project as a cornerstone to its future integration into the international community: "You've got to think about this as a basic foundation. And our corner of the foundation is to offer at the end of five years some very advanced software tools that will allow three-dimensional visualization, manipulation, and quantification of brain images." The project's long-range objectives are threefold: * The application of sophisticated computer software to visualize the complexity of the human brain. * Development of a scientific computer data base to organize data in a way that makes each component of brain research more easily accessible. * Initiation of a computer network to efficiently communicate this data to other researchers. *Organization of This Massive Amount of Data* Beginning with NIH-Image, a basic image processing software program in the public domain, Dr. Reiss and associates have made significant modifications to make it more conducive to brain image processing and analysis. Co-investigator Joseph Hennessey is executing the programming portion of the project. "Joe is really a superb programmer, one of the most skilled computer science professionals I know," says Dr. Reiss. "He is particularly skilled at being able to rapidly assimilate and apply the necessary information." "This is a very exciting project for me," says Hennessey. "Hopefully, a lot of researchers are going to be able to use our program. We are going to distribute it over a global computer network from our lab. Researchers are going to be able to download it electronically, in a matter of seconds, from anywhere in the world." Dr. Reiss adds, "Most programs only allow the user to visualize two-dimensional slices; we are putting a lot of emphasis on three-dimensional aspects, because after all, the brain is a three-dimensional structure." "It's not good enough just to look at a picture of the brain; you have to be able to do something with it. The picture has to be able to quantitatively tell you something about how normal or abnormal the brain is. So, we're working on reliable and valid automated techniques to separate out different structure or tissue types in the brain. Then, you don't have to necessarily rely on a human being to reproduce him or herself each time." *Unique Availability of Archives for Cross-validation* Dr. Reiss' lab has over 500 scans and corresponding clinical data archived from healthy children and children with many different brain disorders. This unique availability of data will facilitate early clinical studies of specific hypotheses associating the pediatric brain and behavior, parceling out subgroups at the neurobiological level. Also, using scans from children with homogeneous disorders, the accuracy of the computer images can be cross-validated by targeting particular regions of the brain where the disorders are thought to originate. Dr. Reiss explains, "If you have a magnetic resonance image (MRI) scan, which gives you a sense of structure of the human brain, you can map onto that a positron emission tomography (PET) scan, which gives you function. Then you will get the best of both worlds --you have anatomy and structure of the brain, and mapped on top of that, you will see the function of the human brain." And after all, a major component of the Kennedy Krieger Institute's mission is to understand how the human brain functions and dysfunctions in children. With this mission in mind, Dr. Reiss is visibly enthusiastic about this cutting edge technology in the Institute's neuroimaging laboratory, but he also realizes the great detail involved in executing such a task: "It's a marathon, and we're at the beginning of the race. But at the finishing line will be a much better understanding of the human brain."