Global Neuroscientists Collaborate to Map Mice's Brain Activity During Decision - Making

Neuroscientists from across the globe have concurrently engaged in a groundbreaking endeavor. For the first time, they have mapped the complete brain activity of mice as the rodents made decisions. This accomplishment entailed the use of electrodes implanted within the brain. These electrodes were able to simultaneously record the activity of over half a million neurons, which were distributed across 95% of the mice's brain volume.

Confirming the Theorized Architecture of Thought

The images obtained from this study enabled researchers to validate a pre - existing theoretical framework regarding the architecture of thought. It was confirmed that no single brain region is solely responsible for decision - making. Instead, decision - making is a coordinated process that involves multiple brain areas.

Experimental Design to Illuminate Decision - Making Regions

To comprehensively understand all the regions involved in the decision - making process, the research team trained mice to manipulate a small steering wheel to move circles on a screen. If the mice successfully guided the shape towards the center of the screen, they were rewarded with sugar water.

Extensive Experiment Yields Unprecedented Neural Map

This experiment was conducted with 139 mice across 12 laboratories. By monitoring the brain activity of these mice, the researchers were able to map 620,000 neurons located in 279 brain regions. Subsequently, a subset of 75,000 well - isolated neurons was analyzed. The neural map produced has an unprecedented resolution in the study of the brain and its neural networks during the thinking process. It also represents a significant milestone in terms of the specimen type observed and the extent of the brain area covered. Prior to this study, only the whole brains of fruit flies, fish larvae, or small sections of more complex brains had been mapped.

Decision - Making: A Holistic Process

The results of this research were published in two papers in the journal Nature. While the scientists involved recognize that the data are not conclusive, they mark the beginning of a new era in the neural study of decision - making. The significance of this data lies in the fact that it has made the neural pathway of decision - making more explicit. This clarity will enable scientists to gain a deeper understanding of complex thinking abilities and conduct more advanced analyses. Additionally, the dataset is publicly accessible.

Insights from an External Expert

Juan Lerma, a research professor at the Spanish National Research Council (not involved in the research), stated to the Science Media Centre España: "These initial conclusions corroborate aspects of brain function that were already intuited from more limited studies. It's as if we suspected how a movie would end without having seen the ending; now they've shown it to us. In essence, the data demonstrate that, for instance, in decision - making, more brain areas are involved than anticipated, whereas in sensory processing, the areas are more distinct."

The Complexity of the Human Brain and Future Prospects

The adult human brain contains approximately 86 billion neurons, each of which can form thousands of synaptic connections with other cells. Despite weighing only about 1.4 kilograms, the human brain consumes around 20% of the body's total energy at rest, a disproportionately high amount considering its size. Although modern supercomputers outperform the brain in numerical calculations, they cannot match its energy efficiency or its capabilities in learning, adaptation, and parallel processing. While there is still a long way to go before neuroscience can fully map the neural processes underlying human decision - making, studies like this one bring us one step closer to that goal.

This article was originally published on WIRED en Español and has been translated from Spanish.