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Yesterday it began in the Trento Philharmonic Hall the third theoretical-practical conference “Connect Brain”, which sees the participation of internationally renowned neuroscientists.
The conference, which will end on June 15, will explore the new frontiers of neurosurgical research and clinic, with a practical part dedicated to training on tools for the study of the functional anatomy of the brain.
Organized by the Provincial Health Services Company in collaboration with the University of Trento and the Bruno Kessler Foundation, the conference has the support of the Autonomous Province of Trento and various scientific associations. One hundred participants from six nations will meet with over fifty international experts.
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During the event, we will discuss progress in understanding the functioning of the human brain, its plasticity, and advanced techniques for the study and treatment of brain tumors. The conference includes eight theoretical sessions covering various aspects of neuroscience.
Thursday and Friday are dedicated to conferences and debates, while a practical session is scheduled for Saturday with innovative tools developed in collaboration between FBK, University of Trento and APSS. The participants will be able to use advanced technologies for the treatment of brain tumors and movement disorders, learning to use functional magnetic resonance imaging and consulting brain maps.
In Trento, the collaboration between the University of Trento, the Bruno Kessler Foundation and the provincial health services company led to the creation of the first functional brain atlas. This atlas integrates functional magnetic resonance imaging and electrical stimulation data collected during neurosurgical procedures, helping to define the areas of the brain essential for different functions and visualize the brain’s connectivity pathways.
The “NeuSurPlan” project, launched in 2021 and financed by the Autonomous Province of Trento, supported technological transfer and the application of scientific discoveries in the therapeutic and surgical fields. Furthermore, the integration between clinics and research has allowed the creation of the first automatic system to explore brain functions and the first digitized atlas of the cerebral white matter.
«We would like to welcome you on behalf of the autonomous Province of Trento – highlighted the councilor for health and social policies at the opening of the conference Mario Tonina – to all participants and experts who will illustrate the most recent methodological advances in the study of brain structure and function, studies that allow us to acquire an in-depth understanding of its functioning and to explore its practical applications in the treatment of brain diseases.
After all, research is the foundation on which to build the future of medicine, it allows us to develop new technologies, improve existing techniques and introduce more effective and less invasive treatments. In this context – continued the councilor – the Province has made a constant commitment to promoting a system of research and innovation of excellence, as demonstrated by the activation of the degree course in medicine and surgery which adds to the other training opportunities in the field of health professions, strengthening the Trentino research system , innovation and higher education, the quality of which is recognized at a national level”.
For those dedicated to neuroscience, understanding the brain and treating brain tumors represents one of the most demanding challenges in the field of medicine and oncology.
«The interactions between the world of basic neuroscience and those applied to the clinic have experienced a notable development in recent years also thanks to technological and instrumental innovations which have made it possible to achieve results that were unimaginable until recently. Connect Brain is a real course – explains Silvio Sarubboprofessor at the Interdepartmental Center of Medical Sciences of the University of Trento and director of the Neurosurgery Unit of the Santa Chiara hospital in Trento – born in 2015 with the idea of creating a bridge between basic neuroscience and clinical, neurological and neurosurgical research. A synergy that has practical implications for the treatment of patients suffering from brain tumors.”
An initiative with a strong interdisciplinary imprint.
«Our contribution – He says Jorge Jovicich scientific coordinator of the neuroimaging laboratory at the Interdepartmental Mind/Brain Center of the University of Trento – is to provide the neurosurgery operating unit with a functional imaging diffusion data acquisition protocol and tools to analyze these data jointly, both to plan a surgical operation and to analyze the post-intervention progress and monitor cognitive recovery of the patient.”
Artificial intelligence plays an important role in the development of clinical neuroscience.
«A strange short circuit is being created. On the one hand – points out Paolo Avesanihead of the Neuroinformatics laboratory of the Bruno Kessler Foundation – neuroscience tries to explain how the brain works. On the other hand, artificial intelligence tries to replicate it. There is a mutual benefit between these two disciplines which is also having positive results for clinical activity.”
