Swiss researchers from Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, and University of Lausanne, and their American
counterparts from Indiana University and
Harvard Medical School, collectively developed a pioneering method for mapping human brain activity, without using surgical procedures.
These researchers found that all responses reach and are generated by only one network, which controls both left and right hemispheres of the brain.
The technology facilitates comprehensive visualization of how a body responds at a great speed with the help of trillions of neural connections within the brain. An advanced version of diffusion MRI technology that is integrated in this method allows the scientists to understand in which direction, which response is moving through innumerable neural fibers that pass simultaneously from the same location. This feature is superior to the existing brain mapping methods such as the tMRI, which only indicate which part of the brain shows an increase in activity in response to a particular stimulus.
The technology will enable researchers to identify the presence of a disease at a much earlier stage, and also understand the factors responsible for recovery from these diseases, or injuries. Based on such information, reseachers will be able to develop drugs that prompt such recovery responses.