Key points from article :
The NIH Brain Initiative (BICCN) published a map of cell types and neuronal wiring for the mammalian primary motor cortex.
An account of the cells types and how they differ from each other are important for understanding brain disorders.
"Research conducted..will help provide tools that enable precise targeting of cell types and neural networks by genomic therapy" - Walter Koroshetz, director, NIND.
BICCN researchers catalogued different cells of the mammalian primary cortex, involved in controlling complex movement.
Different brain cell types were characterized using a combination of electrophysiological, morphological, and circuit tracing approaches.
Single-cell transcriptome and epigenomes were also analyzed to identify unique gene markers defining cell types in the primary motor cortex.
Similar cell types across mice, monkeys, and humans were identified, with differences in gene expression responsible for variations in the way the three species process neural information.
"...This work represents a crucial step that will dramatically enhance the pace of advances in understanding the brain,” Joshua. G, Director, NIMH.
Study conducted by members of BRAIN Initiative Cell Census Network (BICCN) published in Nature.
