TEHRAN — Iran and Sweden discussed possible cooperation on brain mapping projects during a meeting which was held at University of Tehran.

Swedish Minister for Health Care, Public Health and Sport Gabriel Wikstrom at the head of a delegation met with the university’s brain mapping lab director Mohammad-Reza Aye to negotiate possible future combined efforts on brain mapping projects, IRNA news agency reported on Tuesday.

The delegation comprising representatives of universities, research centers, and commercial companies also paid a visit to the lab which is equipped with modern technologies for analyzing brain function.

The meeting was aimed at raising fund and attracting investment, the lab director Aye explained, adding, the meeting was fruitful and would certainly result in improved relations.

He further highlighted that Sweden is a pioneer country in brain mapping and applying it into practice.

Brain mapping is a set of neuroscience techniques predicated on the mapping of (biological) quantities or properties onto spatial representations of the (human or non-human) brain resulting in maps. In other words, brain mapping is a technique used to show parts of the brain and how they work together and provides a solid understanding of the anatomy of the brain.

The brain’s wiring diagram may help us better understand how we learn and adapt. It is also of practical use to doctors. Neurosurgeons use brain mapping to plan safer surgeries.

Brain imaging is not only used in treatment. It is used to diagnose neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Scientists have also sought to illustrate the effects of various mental illnesses in the brain, with some success. Panic disorder, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, eating disorders and more are being examined using different brain imaging techniques.

MQ/MG