Two years ago the Blue Brain released the
rst
digital copy of a partial neocortex. The neocortex is The topological diagram shows how groups of neurons form multi-dimensional ‘cliques'.
the portion of the human brain that is responsible for language and consciousness. It's the most
Credit: Blue Brain Project.
evolved part of the brain and makes up approximately 76% of the human brain, making it the largest when compared to similar structures in other animals. Now, with the help of algebraic topology, Blue Brain researchers showed that the multi-dimensional brain structures discovered could never be produced by chance, based on studies of the virtual brain. Later, experiments on real brain tissue con rmed the virtual
ndings
suggesting that the brain constantly rewires during development to build a network with as many highdimensional structures as possible.
Were it not for algebraic topology, the researchers couldn't have been able to discern highly organized structures hidden in the seemingly
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chaotic ring patterns of neurons.