From understanding how the brain functions to the comparisons between the cerebral surface and
the connectome, here's what you need to know.
The shape of the brain and its wrinkles that contribute to the walnut appearance of the brain impacts
the way it works. In a study titled 'Geometric constraints on human brain function,’ the researchers
compared the two main components of the brain's structure – the outer folds of the cerebral cortex
and the web of nerves that connect the significant regions of the cerebral cortex. Speaking to a
publication, James Pang, co-author of the article and physicist at Monash University in Melbourne,
Australia said that they used concepts from physics and engineering to explore how anatomy
impact function. The study further explored that the shape of the cerebral cortex had more impact
than the connectome.
How the wrinkles of the brain impact its function: Study(Unsplash)
Understanding how the brain functions
In order to understand how the brain works when the neurons are excited, the researchers tried to
include mathematical theory of waves. According to neuroscientists who have studied the
mechanism of neurons and their ways of sending messages to the brain through decades – the
neurons, when excited can send messages to other neurons. The neurons in the cerebral cortex can
communicate their state of excitement to their neighboring regions. However. Each neuron has a
long filament called axon that also helps in sending messages to distant brain cells.
The study of vibration
The brain's neuronal excitement can come in waves and spread to various parts of the brain, and
travel back in periodic oscillations. The researchers studied the modes by which the brainwaves
propagate at the cortical surface and at the connectome. Then they studied the information gathered
from MRI that images the activity of the brain supported by blood flow. The researchers further
analysed the information and came to the conclusion that the brainwave modes were better
explained by the surface geometry than by the connectome. For the study, the authors used an ideal
brain structure – however, the walnut-shaped convulsions of the cortex are known to vary in shape
and size from person to person.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/health/how-the-wrinkles-of-the-brain-impact-itsfunction-
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