Breakthrough in Neuroscience: AI Completes Mapping of Fruit Fly Brain, Paving Way for Human Brain Understanding

The tiny creatures that come to your overripe fruit can teach us a lot about how the human brain works, says a biologist who has mapped the brain of a single fruit fly.

A revolutionary step

The research was published in the scientific journal Nature. A group of American and European scientists have for the first time seen a complete diagram of the connections that occur in the brain of a fruit fly.

This would pave the way for unprecedented insights into how the brain controls behavior. “This is a milestone for neuroscience,” says Anita Devineni, a neuroscientist at Emory University in Atlanta.

“If you’re wondering why we pay so much attention to the brain of a fruit fly,” says Sebastian Seung, a professor of computer science and neuroscience at Princeton University The Guardian. “My simple answer: anyone who understands how the brain of a fruit fly is put together is one step closer to understanding all brains.”

Victor Lamme, professor of psychology (UvA), is also enthusiastic. According to him, this research will help to understand how human behavior arises in the brain. “Our brain works the same way as a fruit fly and many other species,” he says.

“If we can identify the connections in the brain that produce certain behaviors, we can understand how the behaviors arise. “And if it is possible in a fruit fly, it is also possible in humans, he explains.

Computer simulation

The researchers created a computer simulation of part of the fly’s brain. “This is the beginning of a digital transformation of ornithology.

The researchers found two types of nerve cells. One species seems to be responsible for combining different types of information. And the other sex sends out signals to coordinate actions. A circuit in the brain has also been discovered that causes a fruit fly to become stationary.

AI-technology

The scientists used AI technology to create a model of millions of connections between fruit fly brain cells. “We don’t know how connections are made between brain cells.” says Niels Taatgen, professor of AI at the University of Groningen. “AI takes us one step further in unlocking the mystery of the human brain.”

It was complicated to grasp the connections of the tiny brain, the size of a poppy seed. The process began by cutting the brain into 7,000 thin slices of paper. These were individually imaged in an electron microscope. This allowed the scientists to look at brain structures that were four millionths of a millimeter wide.

The images were analyzed using AI. This allowed finding all the connections between the brain cells. To avoid AI mistakes, dozens of scientists and volunteers around the world were asked to analyze the results. “Because we know AI isn’t perfect,” says Taatgen. “This also gives us insight into how we can use AI more effectively. “

Brain diseases

When people’s brains can be mapped, it will help the medical world to treat brain diseases and psychoses, says Professor Lamme. “It would give us the ability to push the right buttons in the brain and make people behave better.”