Russian Academy of Sciences President Alexander Sergeev called for the launch of a national brain research project in 2019. We understand why it is needed and what it will give to the common man.
Nature did not have the technology that humans have
- Scientists are often asked what is the most advanced in science now. One such area is brain research. This is a very broad topic. It includes a whole line of sciences - physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology. When it comes to neurodegenerative diseases, medicine is also involved, - said Academician Sergeev at a recent press conference dedicated to the Day of Russian Science.
He recalled that now in the world there are several large projects of national and international level, but Russia's participation in them is limited, practically absent. In 2013, the United States adopted a national brain research program. In the same year, the Human brain project was formulated in Europe and has been being implemented for five years now. Its financing exceeds 1 billion euros, the first stage of the project has now ended. And Russia does not participate in it.
In 2016, China announced the launch of its China Brain Project. The goal is to ensure the leading position of the Celestial Empire in neurosciences by 2030. Similar projects operate in Japan and Korea.
- But in Russia there is no large-scale brain research project that would consolidate the entire scientific community. Our country has lagged far behind in this area. Therefore, we decided to bring the initiative to the level of the country's leadership - it is imperative to launch such a project in 2019, - concluded the President of the Russian Academy of Sciences. - It should have been launched even earlier, in the zero years.
To close the gap in neurosciences, Alexander Sergeev suggests focusing on areas in which Russia is traditionally strong. These are mathematics, theoretical physics and computer science. And also medicine. Research in these industries will help create neuromorphic (in other words, artificial) intelligence.
- If we understand how the human brain and intellect work, we will be able to repeat this at the modern level using materials, machines, technologies, so that information processing is faster and of higher quality. Nature, creating the brain, did not have the technologies that are now at the disposal of man, - said academician Sergeev.
Promotional video:
4 billion years to fully study the brain
Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that one of the tasks facing the government is to increase the life expectancy of the population. Specific figures have been announced: by 2024 to ensure life expectancy up to 78, and by 2030 - up to 80 years. But you need to understand that in old age a person is prone to serious neurodegenerative diseases. The most famous of these are Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. It is clear that when they talk about increasing life expectancy, they mean healthy longevity - one where there is no place for ailments that turn life into continuous suffering. Therefore, the main goal of the national human brain research project should be to rid society of these diseases.
“The main priorities of modern medicine are vascular pathology, neurooncology, neurodegenerative diseases,” says the director of the National Medical Research Center for Neurosurgery named after I. Burdenko academician Alexander Potapov. - Russia has its own innovations on the development of devices for fluorescent navigation, which allows you to enter the deep structure of the brain, determine the type of tissue and perform complex research. And we have serious progress in the study of the brain connectome - that part of it that is responsible for consciousness.
Connectome is a complete description of all connections of the nervous system of the body. Scientists remind that the human brain is a complex structure. Perhaps the hardest thing in the universe. It consists of 86 billion cells (neurons), and each of them has 10 thousand connections with other cells. In order to calculate all the connections in the brain, at current capacities, it will take 4 billion years. But the recent quantum computers being built may help speed things up.
Academician Mikhail Piradov, director of the Scientific Center of Neurology, claims that Russian doctors have significant achievements in the field of neuroscience. For example, the production of neuro-trainers is launched, which allow activating non-working areas of the brain. So it will be possible to return to society patients with the same neurodegenerative diseases.
But our scientists think even broader.
- We are trying to find answers to the question of where consciousness is born, - Mikhail Piradov admits. - We do this by studying patients who are in an unconscious state and those who are in a state of minimal consciousness (there is such a term). I do not exclude that the day will come when we will be able to upload our consciousness into the cloud. And thereby ensure digital immortality for yourself.
Dmitry Pisarenko