Scientists have built a virtual mouse cortex using a supercomputer, simulating 10 million neurons to study diseases like Alzheimer’s and epilepsy.
The simulation models both the structure and function of a whole mouse cortex, containing nearly 10 million neurons, 26 billion synapses and 86 interconnected brain regions.
Synapses are tiny connections between brain cells that enable communication.
The digital brain allows researchers to run virtual experiments, testing how diseases spread through neural networks or how seizures develop, without using real brain tissue.
Scientists can track how damage progresses in conditions like Alzheimer’s disease or follow brain wave patterns linked to attention.
The simulation runs on Fugaku, Japan’s flagship supercomputer, which can perform more than 400 quadrillion calculations per second.
The system comprises 158,976 processing nodes to meet the vast computational demands.
Researchers used data from the Allen Cell Types Database and Allen Connectivity Atlas to build the virtual brain’s blueprint.
The team used the Brain Modeling ToolKit to translate this information into a working digital simulation, with a neuron simulator called Neulite converting mathematical equations into functioning virtual neurons.
Anton Arkhipov is an investigator at the Allen Institute who worked on the project.
He said: “This shows the door is open. We can run these kinds of brain simulations effectively with enough computing power.
“It’s a technical milestone giving us confidence that much larger models are not only possible, but achievable with precision and scale.”
The simulation captures biological detail including neuron branches, synapse activations and electrical signals across cell membranes.
This allows researchers to study how problems develop before symptoms appear and to test potential treatments in a digital environment.
Tadashi Yamazaki, Ph.D. is frm Japan’s University of Electro-Communications,.
The researcher said: “Fugaku is used for research in a wide range of computational science fields, such as astronomy, meteorology, and drug discovery, contributing to the resolution of many societal problems.
“On this occasion, we utilised Fugaku for a neural circuit simulation.
“It’s a technical feat, but it’s only the first step. God is in the details, so in the biophysically detailed models, I believe.”
The researchers say their long-term goal is to build whole-brain models, potentially including human brain simulations, using biological data being gathered by research institutions worldwide.
Arkhipo said: “Our long-term goal is to build whole-brain models, eventually even human models, using all the biological details our Institute is uncovering.
“We’re now moving from modelling single brain areas to simulating the entire brain of the mouse.”
