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BigBrain project excites at OHBM2023: A booth showcasing the present and future of brain research
By Kimberley Lothmann, Susanne Wenzel
Montreal, Canada - The Organization for Human Brain Mapping conference (OHBM), from July 25-29, was clearly a highlight for the neuroscience community. This year, we had the privilege of being representatives of the BigBrain Project at a booth showcasing the Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives (HBHL) initiative and HIBALL. Here, exciting insights into the structure and current status of the BigBrain were shared. We are very grateful to HBHL for hosting us and giving us the opportunity to report on this inspiring project and the successful collaboration between project partners McGill University and HBHL in Canada and Forschungszentrum Jülich and Helmholtz Association in Germany.
Our goal as representatives of the BigBrain project was to communicate the significance and our enthusiasm for the project. We had the honor of welcoming visitors from all over the world to give them exclusive insights into the work of the BigBrain team. Visitors were particularly focused on the 3D-printed BigBrain, a video about the process, history, and current status of the BigBrain project (video) and a live demo with 3D visualization of the original BigBrain dataset and a first version of a new BigBrain that will be released soon. We were glad to have the opportunity to discuss and share our knowledge with everyone who was interested. Attendees left the booth not only inspired but also with a deeper understanding of the significant advances that have been made and not to forget delicious chocolate sponsored by HBHL.
BigBrain-Project: the next generation of highly detailed human brain models
HIBALL, launched in 2013 as funding umbrella for the BigBrain Project, has made significant progress and promises to take our understanding of the human brain to a new level. The main goals are to integrate multimodal data sources into the BigBrain template space and to create the most detailed 3D model of the human brain at the highest resolution to date. The booth thus provided a unique opportunity for conference attendees to ask questions and make suggestions to the collaborators behind the project.
Presenting the BigBrain project at the HIBALL booth at OHBM 2023 in Montreal was undoubtedly a highlight for our team at the conference. We are honored to have contributed to highlighting the importance of brain research and the pioneering work of the BigBrain team. This experience has reinforced our passion for brain mapping, and we eagerly anticipate the future of brain research and imaging.
