Scientists can now ’see’ how different parts of our brain communicate

A new technique which lets scientists 'see' our brain waves at work could revolutionise our understanding of the human body's most complex organ and help transform the lives of people suffering from schizophrenia and ADHD. Although, scientifically, the brain is the most studied organ in our body we still know relatively little about it. But that could all change as a result of this research led by Matt Brookes in the Sir Peter Mansfield Magnetic Resonance Centre at The University of Nottingham and published today, September 19 2011, in the prestigious journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) of the United States. Using a relatively new neuroimaging technique called magnetoencephalography (MEG) — which measures electrical signals from the brain — and a combination of new mathematical techniques they have found a non-invasive way to harness the rich, dynamic nature of brain signals — not just to identify the existence of brain networks, but also to probe the subtle electrical processes associated with brain activity. They are already working with experts in the School of Psychiatry to apply these methods to patients suffering from schizophrenia and ADHD. Brookes, a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellow who led the research, said: "If we are to go on to achieve a full understanding of brain networks and their role, an understanding of the electrical processes is critical. MEG does this non-invasively, via assessment of the magnetic fields induced outside the head by electrical currents in the brain.