Mapping, understanding and manipulating the human brain connectome with MRI

人类大脑是一个非常复杂的网络，由数以百万计的神经细胞通过数万亿的纤维连接而成。了解这个错综复杂的连接网络--所谓的人类连接体--已经成为神经科学的中心目标，其规模可以与人类基因组计划相媲美。该项目将开发新的大脑成像方法，以准确绘制连接体。它将研究信息是如何在不同区域之间传递的，以及大脑网络功能的个体差异如何与我们的遗传构成相关。它还将决定我们是否可以有针对性地操纵连接体特定回路的功能，以期开发出治疗大脑疾病的新方法。

The human brain is an extraordinarily complex network, comprising millions of nerve cells connected by trillions of fibres. Understanding this intricate web of connectivity – the so-called human connectome – has become a central goal of neuroscience and is comparable in scale to the human genome project. This project will develop new brain imaging methods for accurately mapping the connectome. It will investigate how information is communicated between its different regions and how individual differences in brain network function relate to our genetic make-up. It will also determine whether we can manipulate the function of specific circuits of the connectome in a targeted way, in the hope of developing new treatments for brain disorders.