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Researchers from IBM and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory say they have performed a computer simulation that matches the scale and complexity of a cat’s brain, and project members from IBM and Stanford have developed an algorithm for mapping the human brain at new levels of detail. Eventually, scientists hope that detailed knowledge will help them build a computer that replicates the more complex working of a human brain.

I find advances such as these most interesting and impressive but the reporting often highly overblown. I mean, first off, the computer is modeled on a cat brain, and still performs imperfectly, though great strides have been made. And I guess this does move us closer to an eventual model of the human brain. Of course, if I go out and buy a 100-pack of lego I could also say I’ve made an advance towards building my 20 story life-size lego skyscraper. Neuroscience has taught us volumes about how neurons function and interact with each other and the rest of the body, contributing to the knowledge base that this type of computer modeling is based on. The numerous synapses between neurons of varying types and their effects on each other have come to light only through decades of scientific study. And while I’m sure the computer scientists have done a splendid job to recreate these structures and connections, what we have to keep in mind is all that is still unknown. And that’s what frustrates me most about these types of headlines. I mean, only since around the end of the last century did glial cells, previously thought to play only a supportive role to neurons in the brain, were discovered to also play a role in neurotransmission. With glial cells outnumbering neurons in the brain, I think I am justified in saying that to suggest we are anywhere near close to creating a computer that works like a human brain is highly premature.

I do think that creating a computer that can respond to specific stimuli of interest, and react in a manner similar to how a normal person would respond is well within reach. But the suggestion that the brain itself “works like a human brain” is rather bombastic.

Still, kudos to the researchers for their impressive feat.