Uses of Brownian motion in brain imaging and neuroscience
by Nicolas Lori (Visiting Researcher at CMAF)
Brownian motion has applications to both brain imaging and neuroscience. One of the most mathematically elaborate forms of brain imaging is the use of q-ball imaging (QBI) diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to the obtaining of the location and physiological health of the white matter connections in a living human brain. This talk will describe the mathematics behind QBI with examples of the kind of results that are obtained. The process of counting in humans is represented by a Brownian motion, and this example of the use of Brownian motion in neuroscience will end the talk. After the talk, there will be a discussion about possible future relations between neuroscience and mathematics.