The Resemblance of the Universe in Human Brain - research by Franco Vazza and Alberto Feletti

The Resemblance of the Universe in Human Brain 

As I began to pursue a neuroscience major, one of the first things I learned from Introduction to Neuroscience was the structure of the brain- about the nervous system, structure of neurons, glias, microglias, and many more. However, no one has ever told me that I can relate physics, especially the structure of the universe, to the human brain. When I first saw this article describing Franco Vazza and Alberto Feletti’s research that examined the similarity between the two most complex systems in nature- the universe and brain system- I was intrigued by the collaboration between the two fields of study that I never made close association with. This article was eye-opening in a way that taught me how physics can be applied to, and is associated with, more fields of study. 

The authors of this article, The Quantitative Comparison Between the Neuronal Network and the Cosmic Web, are Franco Vazza and Alberto Feletti. Franco Vazza is a numerical astrophysicist who studies the origin of extragalactic magnetic fields and the evolution of cosmic structures, from galaxy clusters to cosmic filaments, using numerical simulations. He is an Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Bologna. Currently, he is working on the project The Magnetised Cosmic Web (MAGCOW) to observe signatures of extragalactic magnetic fields, combining advanced numerical simulations and radio observations. Alberto Feletti is an associate professor at the University of Verona, Department of Neurosurgery (Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata di Verona). His main research interests are in the field of Neurosurgery. Currently, he is working on a project called 'cns hemangioblastoma'.

Quantitative analysis underlying the cosmic and brain system reveals profound similarities. For example, both the human brain and universe functions because of their wide network. For neural networks, the system consists of 69 billion neurons. For the universe, the network is composed of a cosmic web of at least 100 billion galaxies. However, in both systems, only 30% of their masses are composed of galaxies and neurons. In both systems, galaxies and neurons arrange themselves in long filaments or nodes between the filaments. The other 70% of mass (for neuronal network) or energy (for the universe) consists of components that play rather a passive role, for example, water in the brain and dark energy in the observable Universe. 

Comparison between the simulation of the network of galaxies and sections of the cerebral cortex and the cerebellum and calculation of the spectral density were carried out. Franco Vazza reported that "the distribution of the fluctuation within the cerebellum neuronal network on a scale from 1 micrometer to 0.1 millimeters follows the same progression of the distribution of matter in the cosmic web but, of course, on a larger scale that goes from 5 million to 500 million light-years." It can be inferred that understanding the structure of either the universe or brain network could enhance our understanding of the other system as they share profound similarities, but on a different scale. If you are interested in learning more about similarities and differences between neuronal and galaxy networks, check out the article published by Vaza and Feletti, titled The Quantitative Comparison Between the Neuronal Network and the Cosmic Web. 

References 

F. Vazza et al, The Quantitative Comparison Between the Neuronal Network and the Cosmic Web, Frontiers in Physics (2020). DOI: 10.3389/fphy.2020.525731

Franco Vazza — University of Bologna — Home Page https://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/franco.vazza2/en (accessed Nov 20, 2020).