Thiruvananthapuram : Marking a breakthrough in human brain analysis, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) is all set to bring out the large-scale human adult brain mapping in collaboration with leading scientific institutions in the country and abroad, enabling medical practitioners to have a deep and extensive analysis of the human brain. 

Revealing this on the concluding day of the 43rd Annual Meeting of Indian Academy of Neurosciences (IAN) today, Dr Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam, IITM, Chennai, said the data at the neuroscience level will be released over the next one-and-a-half years.

The October 29-November 1 event was hosted by Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (BRIC-RGCB), at Kovalam here.

Dr Sivaprakasam said researchers have done projects on mouse brain and a little bit of monkey brain but nobody has ever done human brain in large scale.

“Through our technology, we have already brought out the first set of brain maps that have come in second trimester (14-24 weeks). Currently, we are imaging adult brains at Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre in IITM,” said Dr Sivaprakasam while speaking at the session on ‘Cell-Resolution Mapping of Whole Human Brains.’

Noting that brain is very complex and large, he said they are imaging human brains at the level of each and every cell.  “Brain has more than 100 billion cells and it has trillions of connections between the cells.  Today, we can see the brain in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at millimetre level,” he said.

IITM took up the challenge in 2017 at the instruction of IT entrepreneur Mr Kris Gopalakrishnan, who suggested them to work on human brain at great deal at a globally high quality level.

“If you want to understand brain, you have to image the brain at different points of life and different diseases. It was a significant challenge as hardly any equipment existed by then. So, we had to create our own R&D and technology and started the project in 2020,” he explained. 

The data derived from the project have already been converted into cellular level maps which will be highly beneficial for medical fraternity.  

While giving K T Shetty Memorial oration on ‘High Altitude Induce Alterations in Gut-Immune-Brain Axis, Mr K P Mishra, DIPAS, New Delhi, suggested that scientists can collaborate with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the production of electronic-based biosensors for soldiers deployed in high altitude environment. 

In another session, Mr Tomomi Shimogori, RIKEN Centre for Brain Science, Japan, spoke on ‘Cell Type Census in Cerebral Cortex Reveals Species-Specific Brain Function and Connectivity.’

The four-day conference featured top scientists and domain experts from leading institutions from India and abroad.

 Photo Caption: Dr Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam, IIT Madras (IITM), Chennai, speaking at a session at the 43rd Annual Meeting of Indian Academy of Neurosciences (IAN), hosted by Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (BRIC-RGCB), at Kovalam, Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday.