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The brain is the black box of the body: full of secrets and often inaccessible. Recently, however, medical and technical advances have allowed scientists to explore a variety of new modeling techniques and see the brain like never before.
New brain models can provide insights into the biology of brain cancer, improve surgical planning, and help us better understand how the brain performs various functions. These are also the first steps towards new interventions and an improvement in the quality of life of thousands of people.
Cell scaffolding
One of the best and most advanced approaches to modeling a body part is to use a cellular scaffold: biocompatible materials that support the growth of organ-specific cells. In fact, such scaffold-based approaches have allowed scientists to model entire organs in laboratories and are the best hope of eventually developing transplantable organs.
With regard to brain tissue, science is still in its infancy. But using a scaffold of silk and collagen and pluripotent stem cells, scientists began to cultivate brain tissue aggregates in the laboratory. This includes modeling of glioblastoma, the most common form of brain cancer in adults.
Cell modeling based on scaffolding is the result of complex partnerships between the disciplines of science and engineering. Researchers in clinical biomedicine and biology engineers develop biocompatible materials. They work in partnership with neuroscientists and oncologists and can potentially include various other specialists, such as pharmacy researchers and immunologists.
For example, one of the most promising treatments for brain cancer is currently CAR-T, which uses the body's immune system to fight cancer cells, but requires a thorough understanding of the brain and immune system.
View in 3D
It is not surprising then that scientists are relying on the current popularity of 3D printing to find ways to use this technology to better visualize the brain. Using MRIs and CT scans, 3D printers can create realistic biological models.
Although these models do not allow the same degree of biological commitment as cellular models, 3D-printed brains offer the opportunity to model a specific brain, not just the general cell structure. In patients with tumors or other brain abnormalities, these 3D models can help their physicians better visualize and plan their surgical strategies through a tactile and interactive approach.
The 3D printed brain models blend well with tools such as Virtual Brain, a brain tumor simulation approach using fMRI. Surgeons can use the virtual brain to identify not only the structural composition of the brain, but also the functions of these areas.
With a better understanding of brain function near a tumor or other surgical target region, surgeons can plan a more appropriate approach to minimize damage and loss of function.
The brain in action
Finally, to overcome our long-standing dependence on fMRI and some EEG models as a unique way to see the brain perform tasks and isolate functions, scientists have recently released a demonstration study of concept using scattering spectrum imaging to see how the brain structure related to language tasks.
This approach can identify when brain areas are synchronizing and areas that are in an active state during tasks. It can also help researchers visualize how the brain coordinates various structures to perform a given task.
Although this research is only in the testing phase, it could help researchers identify differences in how the brain performs a task, which is of particular interest for the study of abnormal or postoperative brains.
The brain does not react easily to modeling because its functions are so complex. Unlike the kidney or liver, in which the entire organ performs a singular task, the brain performs thousands of tasks and regulates dozens of functions simultaneously.
However, as modeling technology evolves, the brain can slowly reveal its secrets. This is an exciting time for the neurological and cognitive sciences.
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