LOS ANGELES, March 26 (Xinhua) -- A new research of the University of Southern California (USC) has provided the first global network model of the inner workings of the hypothalamus, one of the most critical part of the brain that supports life in all mammals, as well as fish, birds and many other animals.
The study led by USC researchers was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on March 25.
The study is part of an ongoing effort to determine the structural organization of the mammalian nervous system, which the scientists refer to as "The Neurome Project," according to a release of USC on Tuesday.
The project is a pioneering effort to gain a better understanding of the brain, the most complex biological structure in the known universe.
To create the network model of the hypothalamus, the scientists conducted a rigorous analysis of connection data for each of 65 identified hypothalamic regions and spanning 40 years of brain research.
Computer analysis of this data revealed a hierarchical organization comprised of subnetworks of the 65 regions of the hypothalamus on each side of the brain.
Out of 16,770 possible connections within and between the 65 regions on each side of the hypothalamus, the dataset collated by USC researchers indicated that nearly 8,000 of them exist, according to the study.
"This shows that the hypothalamus has a remarkably highly connected internal network," says Joel Hahn, assistant professor of biological sciences at USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and the study's lead author.
The computer analysis of the network also showed that two high-level subnetworks, on each side of the brain, are associated prominently with controlling either behavior or the body's physiology.
Currently, scientists' efforts are focused on completing a model of the mammalian brain that is based on the connections of its gray matter regions.
Eventually, they would extend the model to include the connections between the entire nervous system and the body, together called the "neurome," according to the study.
Such an achievement, combined with network maps for the different types of brain cells, would revolutionize research in a multitude of disciplines, from psychology to medicine.
