Researchers have simulated neural activity based on the unique structural architecture of individual brain tumour patients using a platform called The Virtual Brain.

The findings, reported in eNeuro, are a first step toward creating personalised brain models that could be used to predict the effects of tumours and consequent surgery on brain function.

Brain surgery is delicate work that requires careful planning to maximally remove a tumour while leaving the surrounding tissue intact.

Common techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) are used to map out a surgical strategy by identifying important functional areas close to the tumour.

These approaches are limited, however, in their ability to predict post-surgical outcome because of the complex dynamics of the brain and the widespread modifications of brain activity.

Using the open-source software The Virtual Brain, Hannelore Aerts and a team led by Daniele Marinazzo modelled 25 individual brain networks of brain tumour patients and 11 of their partners as a control group.

The researchers demonstrated that these individualised models can accurately predict the effects of the tumours on brain connectivity.

This result opens the possibility of integrating neuroimaging data with virtual brain modelling to improve surgical planning and outcomes.

Source: Society for Neuroscience