A new
brain-viewing technology allows neuroscientists in different
parts of the world to scan brain images simultaneously and consult
each other immediately
by Jim Martyka
Special coverage
From biomedical engineering and medical device development to genetic research
and biological process technology, IT researchers play a major role in the growing
field of biotechnology. Here is a look at 13 of the most innovative projects
underway.
Until recently, the technological limitations of brain photography
sometimes forced neurologists to wait several days before they could
review a colleague's work.
As brain-imaging technology improved over the past decade, these
brain photographs became more accurate and abundant. Instead of
a few photographs, scientists can now download thousands of digitized
images.
And a recent brain-viewing technology project undertaken by University
researchers also promises to enhance this image-sharing capability
by eliminating the boundaries of time and space.
Using this Neighborhood Viewer brain-image browsing technology,
neuroscientists can view multiple images of a selected point in
the brain and its surrounding area from different angles. Truly
revolutionary, the technology will allow scientists in different
parts of the world to scan brain images simultaneously and to consult
each other immediately.
Although the images are incredibly detailed, alone they do little
to guide researchers through the vast amount of existing neurological
research data.
The technology project will establish a vast library of neuroscience
research - annotated, organized, and located at relevant points
in brain images, all stored in a main database.
"Not only do you get more complete, multiple images of the
brain to view with a colleague anywhere in the world, but we also
hope to put comments on brain images so people in the field can
look at them and see the research at any time,” says John
Riedl, associate professor in computer science.
Riedl and other project participants also say this unique technology
has the potential to change how neuroscientists do their work in
the future.
Elde's Brainchild: Recent discoveries in the neurological
sciences produced a wave of researchers interested in brain activity,
says Robert Elde,
professor of biology and dean of the College of Biological Sciences.
As more researchers examine how molecules contribute to controlling
the brain, the need to organize research data increases proportionately.
"There are a lot of people interested in this explosion of
molecular biology, but there is so much existing data that people
are simply lost,” Elde says.
In the technologically ancient days of a decade ago, sharing neurological
research was a very time-consuming process.
Researchers took microscopic pictures of the brain area under scrutiny,
made elaborate and expensive copies, and mailed them to fellow researchers,
who then returned their comments by mail. Only then could researchers
discuss their findings.
As computer and digital technology advanced over the past few years,
the quality and quantity of these images increased.
"These two things have drastically changed how we view the
brain,” Elde says. “But there is no order; it's like a
library without a Dewey decimal system."
Thus, University researchers, inspired and led by Elde, decided
there must be an easier way to use this technology, to organize,
and to share the research.
About five years ago, Elde began talking about a system of brain
images and organized research with colleagues in computer sciences,
including Riedl and Associate Professor John
Carlis. Several coffee meetings and phone discussions later,
Assistant Professor Joseph Konstan
and research assistants Alex
Safonov, Douglas Perrin,
and Salina Yee joined
the project.
Together they worked to fulfill Elde's vision: to change and help
the way people conducted neurological science.
Some of Elde's colleagues lobbied the national government and federal
agencies for funding. Out of these efforts came the Human Brain
Project and a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation,
that should fund the project until next summer. Officials say this
grant is the only source of funding for the project, and they stress
that now is the time to develop this technology.
The Human Brain Project consists of two interrelated segments:
new brain-viewing technology and a system of organizing brain research
data.
A New Look at the Brain: “In the past, bringing up
such detailed images was more of a challenge because of slower technology.
Now such imagery comes up 100 times faster and more precisely, allowing
researchers to get thousands of images,” says Konstan, who
joined the project team two years ago.
The images are loaded with a confocal microscope, which takes a
picture and uses a laser to bounce light off the image to a detector.
The detector then “talks” to the computer and digitizes
the image on the screen.
This technology allows researchers to juxtapose multiple brain
images. For example, scientists can examine side-by-side images
of diseased and healthy brains. Instead of using a three-dimensional
brain image, the technology features multiple images, or slices,
of a specific point in the brain viewed from several different angles.
Perrin compares this visual perspective to a blueprint. “It's
more like looking at something from side to side, top to bottom,
with very detailed images of the areas,” he says.
"It actually allows you to pretend that you are walking through
the brain,” Elde says. “It's better to have the multiple
slices because you can see more of what you're looking at."
With this technology, scientists can scrutinize an unlimited number
of points in the brain from various perspectives. As the name Neighborhood
Viewer suggests, scientists can also survey the areas surrounding
the targeted points.
Via a network connection, the technology enables researchers in
different parts of the globe to study the same images simultaneously
and to discuss their findings with each other immediately. Scientists
say that this synchronous viewing will make neurological research
more efficient. As a scientist examines different areas with an
image, the technology simultaneously moves the other images on the
screen, allowing a consistent view of the surrounding area. The
number of images one viewer can download is limited only by the
number of monitors in the room.
"Sometimes you just need more than one view to see exactly
what you want,” Konstan says.
"This is the base,” adds Riedl. “There's no telling
where it can go from here."
Neurological Library: The project's second segment involves
organizing a neurological library that can be stored on the brain
images.
In the past, researchers stored almost all their work in hard copy
and were reluctant to share it. No large organized information databases
existed. Thus, if neurologists wanted information on a particular
part of the brain, it was generally easier for them to conduct their
own research rather than dig through volumes of published work.
The University's research team will organize the vast amount of
information into a neurological library. The team also wants to
store the information directly on the brain images using a series
of annotations.
"People can leave notes on a certain part of the brain for
future viewers,” Konstan says. “It would be stored in
the database and tied to that location."
Not only could viewers read the results of past research, but they
could also add their own comments, consistently updating the images.
The annotations would appear as dots on the screen at various points
in the brain image. With a few clicks of a mouse, that dot would
bring up a virtual reference library of research on that portion
of the brain.
Officials say this capability would assist neurological research
by storing the images and research data in the same place.
"The visual part of the project is fascinating, and everyone
oohs and aahs, but if you don't have the data behind it, it's worthless,”
Carlis says. “Now everything will be together."
University researchers continue to stress that use of the technology
is restricted to scientists, at least for the time being.
"We're trying to build a tool to help the working scientist,”
Carlis says.
However, officials say that they would hope to make some of this
technology available to the public eventually .
Although the imaging technology and the use of shared databases
are not unique, researchers say that their application in the field
of neurology is unprecedented.
Using the Technology: Elde introduced the technology this year
in his neuroscience labs in order to study rat brains.
Most brain research uses rat brains because they're abundant, low-tech
versions of the human brain.
"Its a lot easier to cut up rats than people,” says Perrin
jokingly.
When Elde's students investigated the effects of antibodies on
proteins in the brain, they used the software tools to track the
development of the antibodies.
"The only way to tell was to see if they were working in the
brain,” Elde says. “So we did visual comparisons using
the image technology."
Elde and the team want to use the technology in more classes in
the near future.
An Optimistic Future: In addition to these major projects,
researchers continue to work on smaller projects, which include:
compressing large images for transmission across the Internet
developing images with crisper, more detailed resolution
enhancing the brain annotations and research library that will
eventually include an index of brain research
incorporating voice commands into the technology
preparing multiscreen images and the hardware necessary to view
larger brain images
"There are years of work left,” Konstan says.
Team members say they are happy with what they've accomplished
so far and are optimistic about what their future efforts will achieve.
From the project's beginning, team members set several goals. They
wanted to make the fruits of past research available to neurologists
and to simplify current research methods. They also wanted to provide
the labs with a notebook containing extensive research data that
can be used in the labs. In addition, they hope to help scientists
collaborate more effectively.
"One major goal is to have a digital library of images that
is a public tool kit for researchers,” Safonov says. “And
that is becoming a reality."
Although the project still has a long way to go, the team has made
enormous advances in the neurological and computer sciences.
"The big hope is that we will eventually change how people
do neuroscience,” Konstan says. “And this technology looks
like it could do just that."
