An international consortium of scientists has presented detailed cell atlases for the human and primate brain, paving the way for new treatments for neurological disorders.
The human brain still has many secrets to reveal. (SciePro/Shutterstock.com)
An international consortium of scientists recently presented detailed cell atlases for the human and primate brains. This project, supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through the BRAIN Initiative Cell Census Network (BICCN), could pave the way for new treatments for psychiatric and neurological disorders. Cell atlases are maps that show the different types of cells present in a tissue or organ. This work builds on previous genetic mapping initiatives such as the Human Genome Project, which has enabled us to better understand how organisms work. Technology has made great strides in recent years, allowing increasingly detailed results to be obtained. Cell atlases have been created in the past for other organisms, such as human and primate brains, leading to important discoveries about their evolution and similarity. The BICCN project used advanced techniques to map the different types of cells present in the human brain and their three-dimensional organization. This work was divided into several articles published in three scientific journals. Among the most significant findings are the cell atlases of the adult human brain and brain development during the first months of pregnancy, created by a team of Swedish scientists in collaboration with other international researchers. Another study produced a high-resolution map of Broca’s area, a brain region associated with language. The techniques developed during these studies could be used to study any part of the human brain in unprecedented detail. This project has generated new knowledge and neuroscientific tools that could lead to new ways of treating brain diseases and disorders. Sharing the data with the scientific community will enable further advances in understanding the human brain and could have significant implications for research into disorders such as epilepsy, autism and Alzheimer’s disease. This work represents just the beginning of an even larger undertaking: the creation of a comprehensive reference atlas for the human brain across the lifespan.
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