It’s important to interpret the "map" of the brain’s mysteries

It’s important to interpret the "map" of the brain’s mysteries

—Interview with Luo Qingming, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and President of Hainan University

Analyzing the mystery of the brain, this "map" is very important.

The maps of specific functions have greater significance for future biological research
.

For example, if you want to know "how consciousness is produced", people usually think that consciousness is related to the screen nucleus, but to study this advanced function in depth, you need to figure out what is related to the screen nucleus and what comes in or goes out of the screen nucleus.

The maps of specific functions have greater significance for future biological research

Luo Qingming

China Ke Xueyuan academician , Hainan University

Chinese Academy of Sciences academician , Hainan University Science Fellow

The most complex and sophisticated material structure in the world is not the atomic clock that defines time, nor the telescope for exploring space, but the human brain
.

The human brain has a complex neural network composed of at least 100 billion neurons and 1,015 neural connections, which is called the "last frontier" for humans to understand nature
.

But how are these neural networks intertwined? What kind of operation does the neuron perform "secretly" every time when consciousness and behavior are generated? To explore these problems, we must first have a "brain map " -the brain connection map

map

When using traditional techniques for research, the obstacles to mapping brain connections include low spatial and temporal resolution, poor reproducibility, and slow imaging speed
.

In 2010, China Ke Xueyuan Academy of Sciences , a team led by Hainan University President Luo Qingming a study about the mouse brain, invented a microscopic optical sectioning tomography (Micro-Optical the Sectioning Tomography, MOST)

Map of Academicians of the Academy of Sciences

Brain Connection Atlas is the basis for understanding the brain

Brain Connection Atlas is the basis for understanding the brain

Science and Technology Daily reporter: Regarding the mouse brain connection map, your team will release a major development almost every one or two years
.

Why did you choose mice as your main research object? What is the connection between the mouse brain and the human brain?

Luo Qingming: Studying brain activity is the same as studying traffic conditions
.

There are criss-crossing roads and railways between cities, and there are also different neural circuit connections between our brains

It is very difficult to carry out research on the human brain at the network level, so we first choose mice that are similar to the human brain
.

After research, we found that, whether it is a human brain or a mouse brain, a lot of information about its neural connections and neural projections have something in common

Of course, although the two have certain similarities at the genetic level, the actual difference is still very large, so we first develop and perfect the technology for the mouse brain, and plan to apply it to the human brain at an appropriate time in the future
.

Science and Technology Daily reporter: At what stage has the technology applied in the mouse brain developed?

Luo Qingming: Internationally, research on the brain atlas of different techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electron microscopy
.

fMRI can't distinguish every neuron, like "seeing flowers in the fog", while the electron microscope can only see the part of the neuron, just like what we said "seeing the trees but not the forest"

From the beginning of the plan in 2000, to the first publication in Science in 2010, after nearly 10 years of hard work, we invented a new technology-MOST, through the use of 3% to 5% of the neurons in the mouse brain.
Golgi staining, seeing the connections between these neurons, obtained the world's first set of maps of the whole mouse brain
.

Up to now, only our team in the world can map and provide the data of the whole brain mesoscopic connection map
.

Since 2010, MOST series technology has developed to the fourth generation
.
In 2013, we established a fluorescence microscopy optical slice tomography method and technology (fMOST); in 2016, we realized two-color imaging (dfMOST), which can see both neurons and the location of neurons, and established a The whole brain positioning system (BPS) similar to the Global Positioning System (GPS); in 2021, we will increase the image signal-to-noise ratio to achieve "observing the stars next to the sun" and develop a more high-definition imaging technology HD-fMOST, which can See the connections of neurons more clearly, and solve a series of problems such as huge data compression
.

Science and Technology Daily reporter: Can you say that your team has obtained a complete map of mouse brain connections?

Luo Qingming: Strictly speaking, the brain atlas of mice cannot be said to be complete
.

There are many types of brain atlases, and sometimes this concept confuses everyone
.
In the initial work, we only proved that MOST technology is available, but the scientific significance of the map itself is difficult to dig
.
Later, in order to further distinguish the maps corresponding to specific functions or specific brain regions, we further developed technology to label specific functional neurons corresponding to a certain neurotransmitter for dopaminergic, cholinergic, serotonergic, etc.
, and then A series of maps were produced
.

The maps of these specific functions have greater significance for future biological research
.
For example, if you want to know "how consciousness is produced", people usually think that consciousness is related to the screen nucleus, but to study this advanced function in depth, you need to figure out what is related to the screen nucleus and what comes in or goes out of the screen nucleus.
What kind of neurons are, and then draw a corresponding brain map for this group of neurons
.

Therefore, the work on the mouse brain atlas has not been completed.
There is still a long way to go to use the existing technology to analyze the functions of the brain, and more scientific research teams are required to participate
.

Science and Technology Daily reporter: How should we view the relationship between brain atlas and understanding and understanding the brain? How do you plan to advance the results obtained from mouse brains to human brain research?

Luo Qingming: In terms of brain science research, knowing the brain and understanding the brain are the foundation
.
Of course, for understanding the brain, different scientists and different laboratories may choose different paths.
I myself insist on this point of view-the brain connection map is the basis for understanding the brain
.
If you don’t know exactly how the neurons in the brain are connected, just talk about knowing the brain and understanding the brain.
I think it’s not very reliable
.
This is my opinion
.

I often compare neural networks to circuits
.
There are basic components such as capacitors, resistors, and inductors in a circuit.
These basic components first form a basic circuit, and then many basic circuits form an integrated circuit, just like a neural network has a small loop and a large loop
.
We know that basic circuits and integrated circuits are very different in function
.
So is the neural network in the brain the same-there is a huge difference between the small loop and the large loop?

In addition, taking the resistance as an example, there may be a resistance of 10 ohms or a resistance of 1000 ohms in the circuit.
The different resistance values ​​make it take on different functions
.
Will neurons in the brain be the same-the same type of neurons will have different missions?

We do not yet know the answers to these questions
.
But I think that we can provide some important knowledge for understanding the brain by studying the connection map of neurons
.

In 2020, Academician Pu Muming took us to apply for the "Whole Brain Mesoscopic Neural Connection Atlas" large-scale scientific project, hoping to give full play to China's advantages in the field of non-human primate research and the imaging detection technology of the whole brain mesoscopic neural connection map.
The cooperation at home and abroad, took the lead in mapping the brain atlas of non-human primates, and contributed to the understanding and analysis of the brain
.
After the technology is mature, we can try to study the connection map of specific human brain regions
.

academician

It's too early to fanatically chase brain-like intelligence

It's too early to fanatically chase brain-like intelligence

Science and Technology Daily reporter: You already have a relatively clear plan for the study of brain atlas
.
Scaling to the entire field of brain science, what development path are generally taking in the world? What is the difference between our country and them?

Luo Qingming: The most typical research on brain science in the world is the brain projects of the European Union and the United States
.

The European Union Brain Project once wanted to develop brain-like intelligence work through the study of the brain
.
So far, there are not many substantive results
.
Two years ago, Henry Markram, the head of the EU Brain Project, published an article in Cell, but strictly speaking, this result is far from the goal of understanding the brain
.
One of the main reasons is that he did not obtain neurons in the true sense of the whole brain, but only selected a part and hoped to enlarge it to the whole brain accordingly.
This is not feasible
.
Just like when we studied the traffic situation and did a thorough study of the traffic situation in Haikou, we think that the traffic situation in Tibet and even the whole country is definitely wrong
.
Therefore, brain research cannot simply replicate and enlarge
.

The American Brain Project wants to do many things, the most basic of which is to answer the types of neurons and build a map of the brain structure
.
I think the top-level design of the US Brain Project is more scientific than the EU Brain Project
.
The United States also has other brain research projects.
For example, American scientists want to analyze 1 cubic millimeter of brain tissue through electron microscopy, and use this to promote the development of brain-like computing
.
From an academic point of view, I think this is debatable.
Many neurons in the brain are far more than 1 cubic millimeter of space.
This plan can be said to be a typical "blind person touching the elephant"
.

Although the China Brain Project is relatively late compared to Europe and the United States, China's layout is relatively comprehensive.
While paying enough attention to basic parts, it also pays great attention to applications, such as brain diseases, child development, and brain-like intelligence based on the results of brain science research
.
We look forward to the launch of the Chinese Brain Project as soon as possible, and we also look forward to the implementation of the Chinese Brain Project, allowing Chinese scientists to follow and partially run in the field of brain science research to lead the way in the future
.

Science and Technology Daily reporter: You mentioned that the EU Brain Project attaches great importance to brain-like intelligence.
Now society is paying more and more attention to related research.
We often see descriptions of chip manipulation of limbs, acquisition of memory and consciousness in science fiction works.

.
So, in the field of science, can the intersection of brain science and artificial intelligence be regarded as the commanding heights of scientific research?

Luo Qingming: I am not so optimistic about brain-like intelligence
.
It would be a bit early for us to talk about brain-like brains when we are still unclear about the working mechanism of the brain
.
Of course, we should pay close attention to it, but the current overheating phenomenon in society, I think it is unnecessary
.
The research of brain science should pay more attention to the basics.
In the near future, more efforts should be placed on understanding the brain and exploring the mechanism of brain operation
.
It is unwise to chase brain-like intelligence too fanatically at this stage
.

Disciplinary construction has the conditions for catching up and surpassing

Disciplinary construction has the conditions for catching up and surpassing

Science and Technology Daily reporter: The "14th Five-Year Plan" includes brain science as a key research area.
From the perspective of the relationship between learning and scientific research, what work has my country done from the development of brain science research to the construction of related disciplines?

Luo Qingming: Not only well-known universities such as Tsinghua University and Peking University, but also many domestic schools attach great importance to the development of brain science and related disciplines
.
According to my observations, some of these schools are amplifying the original advantages of the school, and some of them are integrated to carry out interdisciplinary research.
The development path is diversified.
This is more in line with the development trend of brain research and related disciplines, scientific research, and talent training.
The law
.

In terms of brain science research team building, we still have a certain gap with leading countries in terms of scale and quality, but we are at the world's leading level in terms of individual directions or specific points
.
Therefore, I am personally optimistic about the future development, and with the improvement of China's overall scientific and technological strength, the importance of the national strategic layout, and the academic accumulation of scientists, I believe that the discipline construction of brain science in China has the conditions to catch up and surpass
.

Science and Technology Daily reporter: Xi Jinping total secretary has proposed "to support the creation of Hainan University, a world-class discipline"
.
As the president of Hainan University, what plan have you made for the discipline construction of Hainan University's brain sciences?

Xi Jinping Jinping secretary

Luo Qingming: Hainan is at the intersection of domestic and international cycles.
In the fields of technology and education, Hainan University must also play a special role
.
We attach great importance to cutting-edge interdisciplinary subjects such as brain science
.
On the one hand, since Hainan wants to open to the outside world, we should assume our own mission and responsibilities; on the other hand, conducting brain science research in Hainan also has unique advantages
.

We mentioned earlier that the research on the mouse brain atlas should be advanced to non-human primates such as monkeys
.
In terms of monkey breeding and reproduction, Hainan has a unique climate advantage.
They can move completely in the natural environment, instead of staying in air-conditioned rooms like inland cities
.
I am actively promoting the construction of a non-human primate breeding base in Hainan, and I have received support from the government and scientists
.
Non-human primates are also a very important germplasm resource.
Sanya Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City is accelerating the construction of the global plant and animal germplasm resources introduction and transfer base, which will also play a role in the scientific research on the brain of non-human primates in Hainan.
Active promotion
.

In terms of international cooperation in scientific research, Hainan's characteristics are also very obvious
.
Hainan has granted visa-free access to 59 countries.
Foreign scientists can visit, give lectures and do research in Hainan without any formalities, which is conducive to academic exchanges
.

In addition, with the strong support of relevant national ministries and commissions and the Hainan Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government, Hainan University has also initiated the construction of relevant research bases in the United Nations' superior research institutions.
It is expected that the main infrastructure construction will be completed in 2022
.