Researchers at the Institute of Psychology, King’s College London, have developed Vivid (virtual in-vivo interactive dissection), a system that noninvasively detects patterns of nerve connections inside the brains of living people.By reprogramming MRI scanners, Vivid tracks the random oscillation of water molecules, which can move more easily along a bundle of nerve fibers. A program makes it possible to construct a 3-D representation of the nerve connections.

The group hopes doctors will be able to use the system for routine diagnosis of schizophrenics and other brain illnesses.

Editorial note: This research may suggest one future direction in developing technology for reverse-engineering the brain.