The new tool, which is available for free to researchers in the scientific and medical community, is the first to map the anatomy of the brain to a resolution of 20 microns, which is smaller than a strand of human hair. That level of microscopic detail has scientists excited about what they might find as they start to delve deeper into how the brain works to better understand language, memories, sensory experiences and even why things go awry in conditions such as Alzheimer’s and dementia
“Research has begun to realize that without really deep knowledge of the structures involved, we will never have an understanding of the data being produced by many of these other techniques and methods,” says Dr. Peter Stern, senior editor of the journal Science, which published details of the effort, during a teleconference about the project.
The virtual brain map was created by German and Canadian researchers, who assembled more than 7,400 painstakingly produced slices of brain, each 20 micrometers thick, from a deceased 65-year old female. They say it will serve as an atlas and ultimate reference for the various layers and cellular circuits that contribute to everything from movement to language, planning and memories.
