http://www.popsci.com/category/tags/brain-mapping
The Allen Institute for Brain Science has completed what it is calling the first comprehensive gene map of the human brain as part of its development of the Allen Human Brain Atlas, a public resource that it hopes will accelerate clinical understandings of how the human brain works. The genetic mapping of two human brains showed a striking 94 percent similarity between the two, which could help researchers establish patterns and otherwise figure out in which parts of our brains to look for different expressions of genetic differences.
The idea behind the brain atlas is to develop a tool that researchers can access to determine how the genome is expressed in the brain, a process which is--needless to say--complex. Over four years, the ABI crunched more than 100 million data points to pinpoint 1,000 different anatomical sites in the brain that exhibit particular gene expression.
Related Articles
 | IBM Researchers Create the Most Detailed Brain Map Yet |
 | Map of Fruit Fly's Neuron Clusters Offers Glimpse Into Our Own Minds' Layout |
 | "Wet Computer" Literally Simulates Brain Cells |
Tags
Science, Clay Dillow, allen institute for brain science, brain atlas, brain mapping, gene map, health
That last part is key for research purposes. Clinicians and researchers trying to zero in on the cause of a certain neurological condition or refine the search for a treatment can use the atlas to better understand how a treatment might work or how a mental illness or condition manifests itself.
As the genome becomes increasingly better understood and particular genes are isolated as the causes or indicators of certain disease expressions, anatomical models like the Allen Brain Atlas could go a long way toward helping researchers make the connection between the genome and the physical brain, using data they wouldn’t otherwise have access to. Less time spent connecting all the dots means more time spent looking for the right therapeutic solutions.
The Human Connectome Project Is a First-of-its-Kind Map of the Brain's Circuitry
It took cartographers and explorers thousands of years to map every nook, cranny, and crevasse of planet Earth. Now, a consortium of researchers from across the U.S. is going to try to map the entire human brain in just five. Working with $30 million and just half a decade, the Human Connectome Project aims to create a first-of-its-kind map of the brain’s complex circuitry, detailing every connection linking thousands of different regions of the brain.
The team consists of 33 researchers at nine different institutions, including Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Minnesota, the lead universities in the effort and the sites where much of the brain-scanning will take place. Their success will depend in part on another HCP grant to another research consortium headed up by Massachusetts General Hospital and UCLA that will develop advanced, custom brain scanners with higher spatial resolution and increased sensitivity. The funds themselves come from various bodies within the National Institutes of Health.
Related Articles
 | Alcohol-fueled Housework |
| Overweight Americans Causing Fatal Accidents |
| Sweet Sweat |
Tags
Science, Clay Dillow, brain mapping, health, human brains, medicine, neuroscience, the brain
The project aims to tap state-of-the-art brain scanning technologies, including diffusion imaging, various MRI methods, and magnetoencephalography to map not just how messages move through the brain, but how various regions work together via networks and networks of networks to achieve the complexity that is the human mind. With map resolutions down to the voxel – small swaths of grey matter containing about one million neurons each – researchers estimate the HCP will generate about one petabyte of data, which will require its own supercomputer to process.
All that scanning, data gathering, and analysis should pay off though, HCP researchers say. The end result will be an open platform that other neuroscientists can use to test their own theories, hypotheses, and findings against. Such a map should help scientists find their way to deeper understandings of how the brain works as well as cures for complicated neurological disorders.
Comments