UCLA acquires SGI supercomputer

The University of California, Los Angeles, has purchased a Silicon Graphics visualization supercomputer to enhance and expedite efforts by the International Brain Mapping Consortium to create a map of structure and function within the human brain, according to Silicon Graphics. UCLA's neuroscientists will use SGI's Onyx2 RealityMonster supercomputer to view and manipulate 3-D brain images.

UCLA scientists have been working with other research centers around the world for five years, compiling data from MRI, PET, CT, and optical intrinsic signal imaging (OIS). Direct anatomical data from cadaveric brains were also included in the database. Onyx2 RealityMonster enables advanced brain modeling and studies of brain development and the aging process, as well as ongoing work to pinpoint specific higher mental functions within the brain, such as memory, language, and planning, according to Mountain View, CA-based SGI.