Mapping the half-billion connections that allow mice to see

a year ago

An international team published a precise map of the vision centers of a mouse brain, the largest and most detailed rendering of neural circuits in a mammalian brain.
The map will accelerate the study of normal brain functions like vision and memory, and deepen research into brain disorders such as autism and schizophrenia.
The project involved over 150 researchers from 22 institutions, funded by the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the National Institutes of Health.
The map combines structural and functional data, tracking brain activity in response to visual stimuli like movie clips.
Researchers used AI to trace neurons through thousands of brain slices, followed by human validation, a process called segmentation.
The dataset is publicly available, enabling global researchers to test theories and develop new approaches to brain study.
The project's success proves the value of connectome mapping, paving the way for future research on larger and more complex brains, including humans.
The work was published in a special issue of Nature, with support from multiple grants and organizations, including Google and Amazon.

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