There have been remarkable advances in understanding the brain, but how do you actually study the neurons inside it? Using gorgeous imagery, neuroscientist and TED Fellow Carl Schoonover shows the tools that let us see inside our brains.

Filmed February 2012 at TED 2012 Uploaded to YouTube on July 12, 2013 by TED

Sebastian Seung is mapping a massively ambitious new model of the brain that focuses on the connections between each neuron. He calls it our “connectome,” and it’s as individual as our genome — and understanding it could open a new way to understand our brains and our minds.

Filmed July 2010 at TED Global 2010 Uploaded to YouTube on Sept. 28, 2010 by TED 

“Brain imaging pioneer Nancy Kanwisher, who uses fMRI scans to see activity in brain regions (often her own), shares what she and her colleagues have learned: The brain is made up of both highly specialized components and general-purpose “machinery.” Another surprise: There’s so much left to learn.”

Filmed March 2014 at TED 2014 Uploaded to YouTube on October 2, 2014 by TED 

“Imagine playing a video game controlled by your mind. Now imagine that game also teaches you about your own patterns of stress, relaxation and focus. Ariel Garten shows how looking at our own brain activity gives new meaning to the ancient dictum “know thyself.”

Filmed September 2011 at TEDx Toronto 2011 Uploaded to YouTube on January 26, 2012 by TED 

“Mice, bugs and hamsters are no longer the only way to study the brain. Functional MRI (fMRI) allows scientists to map brain activity in living, breathing, decision-making human beings. Read Montague gives an overview of how this technology is helping us understand the complicated ways in which we interact with each other.”

Filmed June 2012 at TED Global 2012 Uploaded to YouTube on September 24, 2012 by TED