Researchers are developing a cell atlas -; a complete reference of all cell types, including their location, shape and distribution; for the human brain. The findings were presented at Neuroscience 2022, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world’s largest source of emerging news about brain science and health.
Having a complete cell atlas is critical to observing changes in the brain, such as those caused by disease. A cell atlas was recently developed for the entire mouse brain, covering about 100 million cells. Now, the goal is to create an atlas for the human and non-human primate brain, which would cover billions of cells. Because nonhuman primate and human brains are particularly complex, researchers have developed advanced visualization techniques to catalog brain regions and cell types.
Today’s new findings show that:
- Scientists extended the potential of super-resolution shadow imaging (SUSHI) by using 2-photon shadow imaging (TUSHI) to visualize the microanatomical organization of the mouse brain in vivo. (U. Valentin Nägerl, University of Bordeaux/CNRS)
- The scientists created a molecularly defined and spatially resolved mouse brain cell atlas using robust multiplexed fluorescence in situ hybridization (MERFISH) measurements generated by the MERSCOPE ™ platform. (Jiang He, Vizgen)
- The scientists presented a transcriptomic cell atlas of the entire mouse brain, integrating multiple whole-brain single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets. (Zizhen Yao, Allen Institute for Brain Science)
- Akoya’s PhenoCycler-Fusion platform used an advanced imaging technique to map cell populations with significantly greater clarity and precision. (Oliver Braubach, Akoya Biosciences)
- The CUBIC (Combination of Clear and Unobstructed Brain and Body Imaging and Computational Analysis) methodology found more than 400 million cells in the whole-body atlas of a newborn mouse. (Hiroki R. Ueda, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research)
Ultimately, the different data sets generated by different methods can be integrated together to provide a comprehensive description of the different properties of cells that can enter the same cell atlas. Ideally, in the end, we’re all converging on the same system to make a holistic and comprehensive cell atlas.”
Hongkui Zeng, director, Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle
This research was supported by national funding agencies, including the National Institutes of Health and private funding organizations. Learn more about brain mapping at BrainFacts.org.