The human brain is so complex that it borders on chaos, researchers say.
The brain is like the most complex systems. It is very similar to galaxies, for example. But the more we explore its complexity, the easier it will be to develop artificial intelligence in the future.
The human mind is said to be the most complex object in the universe, writes A. Science AlertThe brain's 89 billion neurons make an average of 7,000 connections, and according to a new study, the physical structure of these entities could dance on the edge of a blade.
Two physicists from Northwestern University in the United States, Helen Ansell and Stefan KovacsUsing statistical physics to explain the complexity that can be demonstrated in a highly detailed 3D map, not only in the case of a part of the human brain, but also in the case of a mouse and a fly.
They explain that the cellular framework of these organisms suggests that the high levels of metal in our skulls are at a structural turning point approaching a transitional phase.
“An everyday example of this is when ice melts into water, because in this case the water molecules are still there, but they are undergoing a phase change from solid to liquid.”
Ansel explained.
“This does not mean that the brain is approaching melting. In fact, we cannot say which two stages the brain might move between, because if it were on either side of the critical point, the brain would not exist.
Previous research has shown that phase transitions play an important role in biological performance, a good example being the membrane surrounding cells, which essentially moves between a liquid and solid state.
What's interesting is that the branch-like structure of neurons exists as a kind of fractal pattern. Fractals, like those seen in snowflakes, molecules, or the distribution of galaxies, appear in more complex systems.
In physics, the fractal dimension is the “critical exponent” that lies on the edge of chaos, between order and disorder.
According to Ansel and Kovacs, the presence of nanoscale fractals in 3D brain reconstructions is a sign of this “critical importance.”
Due to limited access to data during the research, the pair were only able to analyze a single partial region of the human, mouse, and fruit fly brain. But even with this limited image, the team found fractal-like patterns that were similar whether zoomed in or out.
The relative size and diversity of different neural sectors appears to be conserved across scales and species. According to the researchers, this “Goldilocks effect” may be a universal governing principle for all animal brains, although more research is needed to prove this.
“At first, these structures look very different – a fly brain is about the size of a small human neuron. Yet we found surprisingly similar properties.”
Ansel said.
Further studies are needed to determine whether this common critical point exists across the entire range of the animal brain.
Of course, data limitations still exist, but there is currently a major effort in neuroscience to map the anatomical and connectivity of the brain in as much detail as possible.
A cubic millimeter of the human brain has recently been reconstructed, and last year the first complete map of the fruit fly brain was completed, as well as a cell-level map of the mouse brain.
“the [strukturális szint] It was a missing piece of our way of thinking about the complexity of the brain. Unlike a computer, where any program can run on the same hardware, dynamics and hardware are tightly coupled in the brain.
Istvan Kovacs explained.
According to Ansel, the team’s findings open a new path toward a simple physical model that can describe statistical patterns in the brain. One day, such performance could help in brain research and training artificial intelligence systems.
