Scientists have found the Human brain can create structures in up to 11 dimensions. These dimensions, however, are not seen in a classical sense.
Scientists reveal that a multidimensional universe exists inside the brain. This, however, is not defined in a classical sense. A study published in Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience has revealed that the human brain’s structures operate in up to 11 dimensions. The dimensions are not understood as the classic definition of a dimension, which most of us understand, the Blue Brain Project explains.
A Blue Brain Project study discovered fascinating details about the human brain’s complexity. “We found a world that we had never imagined,” explained neuroscientist Henry Markram, director of the Blue Brain Project and professor at the EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Multidimensional Universe Inside the Human Brain
“There are tens of millions of these objects, even in a speck of the brain, up through seven dimensions. We even found structures with up to eleven dimensions in some networks,” Markram added. By studying the human brain, researchers discovered that traditional mathematical views were not applicable and ineffective. “The mathematics usually applied to study networks cannot detect the high-dimensional structures and spaces that we now see clearly,” Markram revealed.
Instead, scientists decided to give algebraic topology ago. Algebraic topology is a mathematics branch that uses abstract algebra tools to study topological spaces. Scientists from the Blue Brain Project were assisted by mathematicians Kathryn Hess from EPFL and Ran Levi from Aberdeen University in applying this discipline in their new study. “Algebraic topology is like a telescope and microscope at the same time. It can zoom into networks to find hidden structures – the trees in the forest – and see the empty spaces – the clearings – all at the same time,” explained professor Hess.
The Human Brain can create structures in up to 11 dimensions
Scientists discovered that brain structures are created when a group of neurons – cells that transmit signals in the brain – form something called a clique. Each neuron uniquely connects to every other neuron in the group, creating a new object. The more neurons there are in a clique, the higher the ‘dimension’ of the object. Algebraic topography allowed scientists to model the structures within a virtual brain created with computers’ help. They then carried out experiments on real brain tissue to verify their results. The researchers found that cliques of progressively HIGHER dimensions assembled by adding stimuli into the virtual brain. Furthermore, in between the cliques, scientists discovered cavities.
“The appearance of high-dimensional cavities when the brain is processing information means that the neurons in the network react to stimuli in an extremely organized manner,” explained Levi. “It is as if the brain reacts to a stimulus by building then razing a tower of multi-dimensional blocks, starting with rods (1D), then planks (2D), then cubes (3D), and then more complex geometries with 4D, 5D, etc.” “The progression of activity through the brain resembles a multi-dimensional sandcastle that materializes out of the sand and then disintegrates,” he added.
The new data about the human brain offers unprecedented insight into how the human brain processes information. However, scientists have stated that it remains unclear how the cliques and cavities form in highly specific ways. The new study may eventually help scientists uncover one of the greatest mysteries of neuroscience: where does the brain ‘store’ its memories? “They may be ‘hiding’ in high-dimensional cavities,” Markram concluded.
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