Helmholtz International BigBrain Analytics and Learning Laboratory (HIBALL) is the funding umbrella for the BigBrain Project. It aims to transform the successful collaboration between McGill and to the next level by reinforcing utilization and co-development of the latest AI and high-performance computing technologies for building highly detailed 3D brain models.
Researchers in brain simulation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have a growing need for detailed descriptions of the internal organization of brain regions in terms of local morphology, cell densities, or connectivity. Currently established computer-based 3D neuroimaging tools cannot reproduce the anatomical details available from freshly cut brains, particularly for very convoluted cortical regions and in the subcortical areas.
The development of the BigBrain Atlas offered much needed improvement in the precision and quality of neuroimaging support for qualitative and quantitative investigation of the brain. HIBALL aims to extend this model by further increasing its resolution and integrating multimodal data, working closely with the neuroimaging, brain modelling, and AI communities to unleash its potential for research.
Jointly funded by the and HBHL, with initial funding from the Ludmer Centre, HIBALL is building a 3D atlas of the brain that combines data about neuroreceptors, neuroanatomy and electrophysiology. Neuroimaging methods rely on accurate brain models as ground truth to develop reliable approaches for probing the brain.
