Researchers Solve Mystery Of Why The Brain Is Wrinkled - IFLScience

Skip to main content

CLOSE

Thank you!

We have emailed you a PDF version of the article you requested.

Can't find the email?

Please check your spam or junk folder

You can also [email protected] your safe senders list to ensure you never miss a message from us.

CLOSE

IFLScience Home

Researchers Solve Mystery Of Why The Brain Is Wrinkled

Complete the form below to listen to the audio version of this article

33607EmailCountryPlease ChooseAustraliaCanadaUnited KingdomUnited StatesAfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEast TimorEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFiji IslandsFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern territoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)HondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyIvory CoastJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoNorth MacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesia, Federated States ofMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNetherlands AntillesNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorthern IrelandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestinePanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarReunionRomaniaRussian FederationRwandaSaint HelenaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTajikistanTanzaniaThailandThe Democratic Republic of CongoTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweReady to spark your curiosity? Get our newsletter full of awesome, inspiring, and strange science.You can unsubscribe at any time. View ourprivacy policy and terms below.Please ChooseYesNo

Listen

Cancel and go back

IFLScience needs the contact information you provide to us to contact you about our products and services. You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time.

For information on how to unsubscribe, as well as our privacy practices and commitment to protecting your privacy, check out ourPrivacy Policy

Ad

• Support Science Journalism

  Become a member

  UPGRADE
• 

  MY ACCOUNT

• 

  SIGN OUT

• 

  MY ACCOUNT

• THE VAULT

• MAGAZINE

• 

  SIGN OUT

DOWNLOAD PDF VERSION

SHARE

FOLLOW US ONNEWS

Researchers have grown a 3D replica of a brain in a laboratory and successfully reproduced its wrinkled, folded shape. The new study published in Nature Physics may have finally answered the long-standing question of how the folds in our brains form, with the process seemingly determined more by the laws of physics than the driving forces of biology.

The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

The reason our brains have a creased structure is clear from an evolutionary perspective: Folded brains shorten the distance that different sections have to communicate over. In addition, folding allows more of the cortex, the brain's outer layer, to fit into a human skull. As we grow into adults, the brain’s volume increases 20 times, but the surface area – thanks to these folds – increases 30 times.

Without these folds, our cognitive capabilities would be dramatically limited. While we therefore know our brain’s organic origami has a distinct “purpose,” how these folds arise in the first place has been far less clear. But a team of Harvard University researchers suspected that there might actually be a fairly simple, non-biological mechanism behind the development of the folds, grooves (sulci) and ridges (gyri) – a process known as gyrification.

In order to test this theory, a 3D printed, gel-based replica of a brain was produced, based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of an actual fetal brain. Still smooth and unfolded, this model was coated in a one-millimeter-thick (0.04-inch) second layer of elastomer gel, a material analog for the cortex, and placed into a particular solvent.

The "cortex" development of the replica fetal brain. The study's results are a no-brainer, really. Mahadevan Lab/Harvard SEAS

Within just a few minutes of being immersed, the elastomer gel rapidly absorbed the solvent, making it grow out from the underlying gel. In order for it to stay attached to the underlying gel, the expanding gel began to mechanically contract and buckle, folding in on itself. The final result looked remarkably similar to the sulci pattern observed on a real fetal brain.

Previous theories on the driving processes behind gyrification have been more biology-focused, with one prominent idea being that the folds are induced by biochemical signals from within the brain, which subsequently causes the expansion and contraction of the cortex. This would allow certain, high priority regions of the brain to be better connected than others.

However, this study implies that physical, rather than biological, processes largely determine our brain’s folding pattern. Understanding the early stages of brain development is critical if researchers are to uncover the genesis of a range of neurodevelopmental brain disorders, including anencephaly, wherein a fetus’ early brain foundations begin to improperly form.

“Brains are not exactly the same from one human to another, but we should all have the same major folds in order to be healthy,” said Jun Young Chung, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University and coauthor of the study, to the Harvard Gazette. “Our research shows that if a part of the brain does not grow properly, or if the global geometry is disrupted, we may not have the major folds in the right place, which may cause dysfunction in the brain.”

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHEDFebruary 2, 2016

Written by Robin Andrews

Discuss (1 Comment)Discuss (1 Comment)

SHARE

FOLLOW US ONNEWS

Multimedia

link to article

IFLScience We Have Questions: How Can Swimming For 37 Hours Help Tackle Ocean Plastic?

IFLScience We Have Questions: How Can Swimming For 37 Hours Help Tackle Ocean Plastic?

link to article

Why Do We Cry? Find Out More In Issue 42 Of CURIOUS – Out Now

Why Do We Cry? Find Out More In Issue 42 Of CURIOUS – Out Now

link to article

IFLScience The Big Questions: Can Magic Be Used As A Tool In Science?

IFLScience The Big Questions: Can Magic Be Used As A Tool In Science?