Scientists confirm our brains have unique fingerprints
Our brains are unique - even more so than our eyes, faces and fingerprints - but now it's been confirmed this discovery will open the door for new neurological healthcare treatments as well as accelerate the rise of new brainwave biometric security technologies
Key takeaways
- According to the team's paper published in PLOS, they used diffusion MRI, which tracks the diffusion process of water molecules in biological tissue, to scan and analyse the brains of 699 subjects.
- Even twins' local connectomes are only 12 percent similar to each other.
- To ensure that their conclusion is correct, they ran 17,000 identification tests and found that they could tell subjects from each other with nearly 100 percent accuracy.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2016) 'Scientists confirm our brains have unique fingerprints', 311 Institute, 21 November. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/scientists-confirm-our-brains-have-unique-fingerprints/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
People say "our brains are wired differently," and now a team of scientists led by Carnegie Mellon University researchers have proven that's literally the case. The group developed a way to "fingerprint" the human brain using diffusion MRI and found that its structural connections are so unique, they can be used to identify individuals - something which a number of companies are already seizing on, with potentially devastating consequences for personal privacy. According to the team's paper published in PLOS, they used diffusion MRI, which tracks the diffusion process of water molecules in biological tissue, to scan and analyse the brains of 699 subjects.
They then took those results and calculated the distribution of water in the point-by-point connections, called local connectome, of the brains' white matter pathways. What they found was that each person has a unique local connectome, sort of like a fingerprint. Even twins' local connectomes are only 12 percent similar to each other. To ensure that their conclusion is correct, they ran 17,000 identification tests and found that they could tell subjects from each other with nearly 100 percent accuracy.
That's not all the team confirmed. They also found that a person's life experiences, such as going through poverty or an illness, affects the brain structure. As such, researchers could use the method to understand how environments and experiences shape people's brains and for now the researchers are focusing on its potential medical applications.
"This confirms something that we've always assumed in neuroscience - that connectivity patterns in your brain are unique to you. This means that many of your life experiences are somehow reflected in the connectivity of your brain. Thus we can start to look at how shared experiences, for example poverty or people who have the same pathological disease, are reflected in your brain connections, opening the door for potential new medical biomarkers for certain health concerns," said Timothy Verstynen, one of the researchers.
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Why does this matter?
Our brains are unique - even more so than our eyes, faces and fingerprints - but now it's been confirmed this discovery will open the door for new neurological healthcare treatments as well as accelerate the rise of new brainwave biometric security technologies
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- Carnegie Mellon University cmu.edu
- Connectome en.wikipedia.org
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 21 November 2016. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2016). Scientists confirm our brains have unique fingerprints. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/scientists-confirm-our-brains-have-unique-fingerprints/
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