The project is still in its early stages, but it is receiving high praise.
Recently, the scientific community in China announced plans to build one of the most advanced brain-scanning machines in the world. This machine will be capable of generating extremely strong magnetic fields, allowing us for the first time in history to reconstruct the activity of all neurons in a living human brain.
Specifically, this will be the most powerful Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) device. It will not only excel in current technological capabilities but will also enable us to monitor chemical molecules in the brain such as sodium, phosphorus, and potassium…
This machine helps us reconstruct the activity of all neurons in a living human brain.
This device is expected to cost billions of Renminbi (RMB), even more than the world’s largest radio telescope, FAST, located in Guizhou. However, it is regarded as potentially bringing about a “revolution in brain research” – according to an expert from Guangdong.
“It will show us a completely different world from what we are currently witnessing”.
“And possibly even the soul”.
The concept of the soul has sparked considerable debate for a long time. Many people, from philosophers to laypeople, believe in the existence of the soul and have proposed numerous explanations for it. However, in the scientific community, no one has yet found evidence for the existence of the soul.
Nevertheless, just because it hasn’t been found doesn’t mean it can’t be. With the new MRI technology, Chinese scientists hope to delve deep into human cognitive activity, thereby creating an image of it. Cognitive activity, from certain perspectives, is essentially the soul.
The concept of the soul has sparked considerable debate for a long time.
Professor He Rongqiao from the Institute of Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences holds a different view. He does not expect that the machine will be able to observe the soul or human cognition simply because it is too vague a concept.
“What is cognition? It is not even a scientific concept. If we can’t define it, how can we determine its image?” – he stated candidly.
However, this is still a significant turning point, and you will understand why shortly.
How Does MRI Work?
In November 2018, the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology announced that the project to build the strongest MRI machine had been approved by the government. The project advisor is Professor Zhao Zhongxian, one of the leading experts in superconducting technology.
Essentially, every part of the human body contains water. In a magnetic field, the hydrogen nuclei in water will behave similarly. By applying radio waves to the magnetic field, scientists can make them rotate in opposite directions.
MRI scan image.
This process causes the nuclei to emit radio signals, enabling experts to reconstruct images from inside the body: tissue structures, blood flow directions, and even oxygen consumption levels.
This technology is known as MRI, allowing us to study and diagnose difficult neurological diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
However, conventional MRI machines today can only accumulate magnetic fields of around 1.5 to 3 tesla (a unit of magnetic field named after Nikola Tesla). The most powerful machines currently in the U.S. and Europe operate at 11 tesla.
In contrast, the machine that China aims to create will produce a magnetic field of up to 14 tesla.
At 14 tesla, the magnetic field will be strong enough to stimulate the nuclei of heavier molecules, such as sodium, phosphorus, and potassium – molecules responsible for transmitting signals between neurons.
We can capture brain activity, thereby explaining it in physical terms – similar to how Newton and Einstein defined the universe.
“If we can make these molecules resonate like hydrogen in water, the amount of information collected will be like explosions” – quoted an expert from Beijing who will participate in the research.
“We may be able to create an image of human cognition for the first time. Afterwards, we can classify and explain them in physical terms – just like how Newton and Einstein defined the universe” – he said.
A Major Breakthrough
It is known that a neuron cell has a diameter of approximately 4 to 100 micrometers. Meanwhile, the strongest MRI machine in the world cannot observe objects smaller than 1000 micrometers. However, if the project succeeds, it will be possible to observe objects as small as 1 micrometer.
Experts involved in this project are very excited, not only because it represents a potentially groundbreaking discovery but also due to its ability to overcome future scientific challenges.
It is projected that the design and development process could take up to 5 years.
In early 2018, experts from the University of Minnesota (USA) created an image of the human body using a 10 tesla MRI. Another 11 tesla MRI machine has also recently been completed in France. However, both can only affect hydrogen nuclei because the superconducting materials they used are still from the older generation.
Superconductors are materials that allow electric current to flow without resistance. Without superconductors, the wire cores generating the magnetic field would generate substantial heat and could melt. The superconducting materials currently used are made from niobium and titanium alloys, but they only withstand around 10 tesla.
There are also other materials that can withstand stronger magnetic fields, but they are unstable – a critical factor for brain research.
“To conduct the research, we need a new superconducting material” – quoted a materials expert from the project.
“Other countries have had ideas, but China is the first to decide to bring those ideas to life”.
It is estimated that the design and development process could take up to 5 years and may incur additional costs. This is not surprising, as the 11 tesla MRI machine in France took 10 years to build but has not yet been operational.
Professor Lu Haidong, a brain research expert at Peking University, believes that the future MRI technology will completely replace current X-rays. This is because MRI does not produce radiation, thus posing no harm to the body. Research by the U.S. FDA has also found no long-term side effects from using MRI in medicine.
Nevertheless, Lu believes that safety must remain a top priority, as medical MRI machines are only one-tenth as powerful as the machine they are preparing to create.
“No one has ever been exposed to a magnetic field as strong as 14 tesla” – Lu stated.
“There might be some side effects, such as increased body temperature. Risks must be carefully evaluated before use on living subjects”.
The machine is likely to be safe – at least according to current hypotheses. However, there are still risks, such as a sudden power overload that could put patients in danger.
“The magnetic field must be reduced gradually. If it suddenly disappears, significant harm could occur. It’s like falling from a height” – Lu shared.
