Brain Imaging

Scientists from Germany and Canada are reported to have created the most accurate brain map till date. The map is 50 times more detailed than the last attempted brain map and has 100,000 times more data than the one procured from a typical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The map known as BigBrain is the first ever 3D model of a brain. This was achieved meticulously by carefully slicing the brain of a deceased 65-year-old woman into 7,400 sections each 20 micrometer-thick. These sections were then put up on slides, stained and photographed at a microscopic level just a notch above that of viewing individual cells so as to reveal the cell structures. It was later digitised to give a high resolution map of the brain. BigBrain will be available to researchers everywhere. The high resolution 3D image of the brain will help researchers in investigating small details or large patterns of brain function.

The anatomical atlas of the brain can be used during research on live human conditions. It will help scientists to study brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. BigBrain contains a terabyte of information that will also allow researchers to study neurological disorders.