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Volume 48 Issue 11, November 2019

Mapping the brain

In neuroscience, there are many efforts underway to map the brain. Some of the technologies are high-tech and emerging, while others are older classics. There are indeed many ways possible approaches, and many animals to map. From invertebrates with a few hundred neurons to mice with tens of millions, complexity varies. Some projects are looking at small scales; others, larger networks. But maps—and catalogues, atlases, and databases—are growing, providing researchers with new and ever-larger resources to guide them as they seek to better understand the brain and how it functions in health and disease.

See Neff

Image: Map: tyndyra/ E+/ Getty. Neurons: Rostislav Zatonskiy / Alamy Stock Photo. Cover design: Erin Dewalt

Volume 48 Issue 11

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News Feature

  • The microbiome many consist of small microorganisms, but it can make a big impact on experimental results. Although its exact role is still being teased apart, there are ways researchers can be mindful of the microbial variable in their mouse studies.

    • Alla Katsnelson
    News Feature
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Protocol Review

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Technology Feature

  • Whether the animal has a few hundred neurons or a few billion, mapping the ‘brain’ is a complex endeavor for which there are several different tacks one might take. Data collection continues on.

    • Ellen P. Neff

    Collection:

    Technology Feature
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