‘Heart of brain’ breakthrough may aid treatment of disorders, Hong Kong scientists say

Hong Kong scientists have made a breakthrough in their four-year research on the connectivity of brain functions and how this may help in the early diagnosis and treatment of brain diseases.

A team of researchers from the University of Hong Kong found that the hippocampus, a horseshoe-shaped structure in the middle of the brain that helps process long-term memory, was one of the drivers behind how different brain parts communicate with each other.

There is currently very limited research on the connectivity and related functions of different regions in the brain, one of the least understood parts of the human body.

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The discovery, which was published in international academic journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America in August, proves for the first time the role of the hippocampus in driving functions within the brain.

“Different parts of the brain are always talking to each other and they are massively interconnected, but there is very limited knowledge about the brain circuit, its network and how it actually works,” said Ed Wu Xuekui, chair professor in biomedical engineering at HKU’s department of electrical and electronic engineering.

During the research, the team conducted experiments on rodents, which have a similar brain structural connectivity to humans.

Through a process known as optogenetics, which stimulates neurons in specific brain regions, scientists were able to prove that introducing low frequencies to the hippocampus could increase its connectivity with other parts of the cerebral cortex.