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Nature Reviews Neuroscience 10, 821–828 (1 November 2009) | doi:10.1038/nrn2722

The Allen Brain Atlas: 5 years and beyond

Allan R. Jones , Caroline C. Overly & Susan M. Sunkin

The Allen Brain Atlas, a Web-based, genome-wide atlas of gene expression in the adult mouse brain, was an experiment on a massive scale. The development of the atlas faced a combination of great technical challenges and a non-traditional open research model, and it encountered many hurdles on the path to completion and community adoption. Having overcome these challenges, it is now a fundamental tool for neuroscientists worldwide and has set the stage for the creation of other similar open resources. Nevertheless, there are many untapped opportunities for exploration.