Newswise — Researchers from the University of Queensland have utilized a video game algorithm to acquire understanding regarding the actions of molecules within active brain cells.
During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, Dr. Tristan Wallis and Professor Frederic Meunier, both from UQ's Queensland Brain Institute, conceived the notion.
"Combat video games employ an exceedingly rapid algorithm to trace the trajectory of projectiles, guaranteeing precise targeting of the intended object on the battlefield with impeccable timing," elucidated Dr. Wallis.
“The technology has been optimised to be highly accurate, so the experience feels as realistic as possible.
“We thought a similar algorithm could be used to analyse tracked molecules moving within a brain cell.”Until now, technology has only been able to detect and analyse molecules in space, and not how they behave in space and time.
“Scientists use super-resolution microscopy to look into live brain cells and record how tiny molecules within them cluster to perform specific functions,” Dr Wallis said.
"In the seemingly disordered milieu, individual proteins exhibit bouncing and movement, yet upon meticulous spatial and temporal scrutiny, one begins to discern an underlying order within the apparent chaos," explained Dr. Wallis.
“It was an exciting idea - and it worked.”
Dr Wallis used coding tools to build an algorithm that is now used by several labs to gather rich data about brain cell activity.
“Rather than tracking bullets to the bad guys in video games, we applied the algorithm to observe molecules clustering together – which ones, when, where, for how long and how often,” Dr Wallis said.
"These findings provide us with novel insights into the vital roles played by molecules within brain cells, as well as the potential disruptions that can occur in these functions during the processes of aging and disease," stated Dr. Wallis.
Professor Meunier said the potential impact of the approach was exponential.
"Utilizing this technology, our team is currently amassing valuable evidence concerning pivotal proteins like Syntaxin-1A, which play a crucial role in facilitating communication among brain cells," remarked Professor Meunier.
“Other researchers are also applying it to different research questions.
"We are actively collaborating with mathematicians and statisticians from UQ to broaden the application of this technology, enhancing its capacity to expedite scientific breakthroughs," Professor Meunier shared.
Professor Meunier said it was gratifying to see the effect of a simple idea.
“We used our creativity to solve a research challenge by merging two unrelated high-tech worlds, video games and super-resolution microscopy,” he said.
“It has brought us to a new frontier in neuroscience.”
The research was published in Nature Communications.
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