Towards a multiscale, High-resolution model of the human brain

Abstract

To understand the microscopical organization including cellular and fiber architecture it is a necessary prerequisite to build models of the human brain on a sound biological basis. We have recently pushed the limits of current technology by creating the first ultra-high resolution 3D-model of the human brain at nearly cellular resolution of 20 microns, the BigBrain model. At the same time, 3D Polarized Light Imaging provides a window to analyze the fiber architecture, i.e., the way, how brain regions are inter-connected, with unprecedented spatial resolution at the micrometer level. Considering the complexity and the pure size of the human brain with its nearly 86 billion nerve cells, both approaches are most challenging with respect to data handling and analysis in the TeraByte to PetaByte range, and require supercomputers. Parallelization and automation of image processing steps open up new perspectives to speed up the generation of new, ultra-high resolution models of the human brain, to provide new insights into the three-dimensional micro architecture of the human brain.