June 1, 2023 – The shape of the brain may play an even bigger role in our thoughts, feelings and actions than previously thought, in line with a latest study within the journal Nature.
Researchers in Australia conducted brain MRIs of 255 people while they did things like type their fingers or remember a series of images.
The researchers also examined 10,000 maps of brain activity from greater than 1,000 experiments all over the world to learn more about how brain shape affects brain function.
Computer models were then used to look at how size and shape affect brain waves.
“The comparison showed that the new model provided a more accurate reconstruction of the brain activity shown in the MRI scans and brain activity maps than the previous model.” NBC News reported. “James Pang, lead author of the study and a research fellow at Monash University in Australia, compared the importance of brain shape to a pebble creating ripples in a pond: the size and shape of the pond helps determine the nature of those ripples.”
Pang said neural interaction is vital, however the shape of the brain's surface could also be more essential to how it really works.
He also said brain shape is simpler to measure than wiring, so this could lead on to latest research opportunities.
NBC noted that not all scientists agree with the research.
“It would be an understatement to say that it is a controversial theory, and it really needs to be put through its paces to critically evaluate whether it stands the test of time,” said David Van Essen, professor of neuroscience at Washington University in St. Louis.