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THE HUMAN BRAIN PROJECT Aayush Visaria, edited by Alex DeMaio
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n October 2013, a consortium of institutions gathered in Switzerland to discuss what has officially become an international, multibillion-dollar venture to reveal the mysteries of the human brain [8]. Named the Human Brain Project (HBP), this undertaking is an analog of the Human Genome Project, with an arguably more demanding goal: mapping and simulating the entire human brain.
The Neuroinformatics Platform
The Human Brain Project is a colossal amalgamation of neuroscience, computing, and medicine, whose overarching goal is to build a supercomputer that mimics human brain function exactly. To this end, HBP scientists have established a list of 13 milestones (called plat-
forms) to meet in the next decade. The Neuroinformatics Platform addresses the need for models and ontologies that can explain ion channels, synapses, and neural connections. These tools will enhance predictive neuroinformatics - or, in other words, allow scientists to
8 | Rutgers Science Review | Fall 2013
extrapolate neurological data more accurately. Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) is one of the most common methods of obtaining in vivo data [8]. In dMRI, the anisotropic diffusion of water is observed as a person is put through a large, rotating magnetic field. In a hypothetical empty box with water