It is exciting to think that through technological advances in computers, we may soon be able to simulate the human brain, every cell represented.
This article, published by MIT, describes a project with the goal of modeling 10,000 neurons and 30 million synaptic connections of the neocortical column of a rat. Though only a small component of a mammal’s brain, it is one of the most complex. Researchers feel that they will model the entire brain of a rat within a few years and be able to simulate a human’s brain in about a decade.
According to the article:
By mimicking the behavior of the brain down to the individual neuron, the researchers aim to create a modeling tool that can be used by neuroscientists to run experiments, test hypotheses, and analyze the effects of drugs….
It should be noted that the simulation is being developed specifically for medical research and is not an attempt to create artificial intelligence. Though, seeing that a small portion of the brain can be so accurately constructed leads one to the tantalizing prospect that we may be able to soon create some type of functional model of the entire brain--researchers seem sure of it. Enjoy the article in its entirety:
“A Working Brain Model”
Technology Review-MIT
The milestone of creating a simulated neocortical column resulted from an evolution of other models. The effort began in July 2005 as part of the Blue Brain Poject, a research partnership between Switzerland’s EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne) and IBM. The tool to simulate such a complex system is IBM’s Blue Gene supercomputer.
All this research and technology is fascinating, but the question we all want answered is: Will this technology lead to consciousness? The Blue Brain Project’s website answers:
We really do not know. If consciousness arises because of some critical mass of interactions, then it may be possible. But we really do not understand what consciousness actually is, so it is difficult to say.
Get more answers to interesting questions about the Blue Brain Project here.
Enjoy this large collection of images of simulated and organic neurons and the neocortical column.
Learn more about how IBM’s Blue Gene Supercomputer simulates biological components.
[?]
February 8th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
And here comes the Singularity. Once we can simulate all the neurons perfectly, we can aim toward getting a true AI, and once we have human-equivalent computers, then four years later we reach the Singularity, and humanity’s computing power goes to infinity.
2021-2035!
February 11th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
[…] human brain to computers is coming sooner than you might think. We recently discussed scientists working on mapping a rat’s brain at the neuron level. They think they will have a working model of a human brain within a decade. On the hardware front, […]
August 20th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
If assemblage of a large group of neuronal components is analogous to a working computer system, then consciousness can be thought of as an analog of programming. The brain without a guiding mind is no more than a collection of nerve tissue no matter how faithfully it mimics that of a living organism. Without an operating system there can exist no “consciousness”, which is independent from the physical organ.