Autumn Issue, 2017

“ The current findings are a major step in furthering our fundamental understanding of the origins and roles of brain-wide functional connectivity. They also signify the potentials of Resting-state Functional MRI and neuromodulation for early diagnosis and enhanced treatment of brain diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and more. ” A research team led by Professor Ed Wu of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering has made a major breakthrough in unveiling the mysteries of the hippocampus, a part of the brain not previously well-known to scientists. Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia are known to affect and damage the hippocampus, resulting in various symptoms including short-term memory loss and disorientation early on. Experiments conducted by the team revealed that low-frequency activities of the hippocampus, which usually occur during slow-wave sleep, can drive the functional integration between different regions of the cerebral cortex and enhance the responsiveness of vision, hearing and touch, as well as learning and memory. These results indicate that the hippocampus can be considered the heart of the brain, a breakthrough in our knowledge of how the brain works. These current findings are a major step in furthering our fundamental understanding of the origins and roles of brain-wide functional connectivity. They also signify the potential of rsfMRI and neuromodulation for the early diagnosis and enhanced treatment of brain diseases including Alzheimer's disease, dementia, epilepsy, schizophrenia, transient global amnesia, and post-traumatic stress disorder. More Brain Mysteries Untangled (From left) Dr Russell Chan 陳維達 , Professor Ed Wu 吳學奎 and Dr Alex Leong 梁子倫 36 From Research to Solutions