Connectome in the context of Nerve tract

Connectome in the context of Nerve tract

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⭐ Core Definition: Connectome

A connectome (/kəˈnɛktoʊm/) is a comprehensive map of neural connections in the brain, and may be thought of as its "wiring diagram". These maps are available in varying levels of detail. A functional connectome shows connections between various brain regions, but not individual neurons. These are available for large animals, including mice and humans, are normally obtained by techniques such as MRI, and have a scale of millimeters. At the other extreme are neural connectomes, which show individual neurons and their interconnections. These are usually obtained by electron microscopy (EM) and have a scale of nanometers. They are only available for small creatures such as the worm C. elegans and the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, and small regions of mammal brains. Finally there are chemical connectomes, showing which neurons emit, and are sensitive to, a wide variety of neuromodulators. As of 2025, only C. elegans has such a connectome.

The significance of the connectome stems from the realization that the structure and function of any brain are intricately linked, through multiple levels and modes of brain connectivity. There are strong natural constraints on which neurons or neural populations can interact, or how strong or direct their interactions are. Indeed, the foundation of human cognition lies in the pattern of dynamic interactions shaped by the connectome.

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Connectome in the context of Complex network

In the context of network theory, a complex network is a graph (network) with non-trivial topological features—features that do not occur in simple networks such as lattices or random graphs but often occur in networks representing real systems. The study of complex networks is a young and active area of scientific research (since 2000) inspired largely by empirical findings of real-world networks such as computer networks, biological networks, technological networks, brain networks, climate networks and social networks.

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Connectome in the context of Blue Brain

The Blue Brain Project was a Swiss brain research initiative that aimed to create a digital reconstruction of the mouse brain. The project was founded in May 2005 by the Brain Mind Institute of École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland. The project ended in December 2024. Its mission was to use biologically detailed digital reconstructions and simulations of the mammalian brain to identify the fundamental principles of brain structure and function.

The project was headed by the founding director Henry Markram—who also launched the European Human Brain Project—and was co-directed by Felix Schürmann, Adriana Salvatore and Sean Hill. Using a Blue Gene supercomputer running Michael Hines's NEURON, the simulation involved a biologically realistic model of neurons and an empirically reconstructed model connectome.

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Complex network ← Blue Brain
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Nerve tract → MRI → Tractography → White matter → RGB color model → Biological neural network → Brain → Wiring diagram → Electron microscope → Neuromodulator → Cognition →