Name: I am my connectome
Uploaded: 2010-09-28T08:45:00Z
Duration: 19 min 8 s
Description: Sebastian Seung is mapping a massively ambitious new model of the brain that focuses on the connections between each neuron. He calls it our "connectome," and it's as individual as our genome -- and understanding it could open a new way to understand our brains and our minds.

Sebastian Seung is mapping a massively ambitious new model of the brain that focuses on the connections between each neuron. He calls it our "connectome," and it's as individual as our genome -- and understanding it could open a new way to understand our brains and our minds.

I am my connectome

Personal identity goes beyond DNA, residing in the brain’s vast network of connections called the connectome. The human connectome, with one million times more connections than the genome has letters, may hold our memories, personalities, and intellect. Unlike the static genome, the connectome changes with experience and neural activity, making each person unique—even identical twins. Mapping this intricate neural web could unlock new understanding of memory, mental disorders, and what it means to be human.