Researchers have created the most detailed description to date of the human brain by studying thousands of different cell types that make it up.
The human brain cell atlas provides precise genetic and molecular information about the various cell types within the brain and their locations.
The data for the atlas was obtained from samples taken from deceased adults and children, as well as embryos and fetuses during pregnancy. Samples from chimpanzees, gorillas, and monkeys were also included to understand brain evolution.
This resource is comparable to the Human Genome Project in terms of its magnitude and is expected to advance research on brain-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, depression, and schizophrenia.
Previous attempts to visualize the brain relied on scanning techniques like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which can’t capture details smaller than about 1 millimeter. This new atlas allows analysis at a much smaller scale, identifying cell types from over 100 different regions of the brain.
The technique of single-cell sequencing, which analyzes the genetic material of a single cell, enabled researchers to precisely identify the diverse range of neurons in the brain.
The collaborative effort involved sequencing millions of brain cells and resulted in a detailed census of the different cell types in the human brain, as well as an identification of their specific locations.
Insights into various medical conditions are already emerging, and further studies are expected to provide valuable information about brain function and the development of new therapies.
