Researchers have completed the first draft of atlases mapping how brain cells form and mature from the earliest stages of life to adulthood, a milestone that could help scientists better understand conditions such as autism, ADHD, schizophrenia and brain cancer.
The work, part of the United States National Institutes of Health's BRAIN Initiative Cell Atlas Network (BICAN) and published in Nature, charts brain development in humans and mice, revealing how genes switch on and off as cells specialize and organize into complex networks.
A detailed blueprint of the developing brain
The studies, published in Nature and related journals, identified previously unknown brain cell types and key genes that guide their development. The findings also highlight what makes the human brain unique, including its unusually long period of maturation.
By comparing human and animal brains, scientists aim to uncover what drives human intelligence and how developmental processes go awry in disease. Researchers hope the atlas will eventually enable precise gene- and cell-based therapies for neurological and psychiatric disorders.