Allen Institute completes Brain Atlas

In a remarkable leap forward, the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle, Washington on Tuesday announced the completion of the Allen Brain Atlas, a Web-based, 3D map of gene expression in the mouse brain.

The study provides a detailed mapping that will enable the scientists to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the connection between genes and anatomy. It is also expected to enlighten as to how the brain works and what happens when it breaks down.

“This project is an unprecedented union of neuroscience and genomics,” said Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen, who provided $100 million to launch the Allen Institute for Brain Science’s first project, the Allen Brain Atlas, in 2003.

On a rough estimate, about 58 million people suffer from diagnosable mental disorder in America annually. The study offers profound opportunity to further understand human brain functioning and disorders as more than 90% of the brain genes in a mouse brain have a direct counterpart in humans.

Stepping apart from the previous researches, Allen Brain Atlas shows the location of various regions of the brain along with the gene activity within them. It includes data for every major structure in the brain for nearly all the genes in the genome.

Situ hybridization technique was used to develop the atlas. Under this technique a chemical marker such as a jellyfish fluorescence gene is used to show whether a gene is active or not.

The four year study mapped more than 21,000 genes. These genes were then checked for their role in expressing the brain tissues. Gene expression determines each cell's type and function.

The consortium of researchers found that more than 80 percent of the genes in the brain were active. Previous studies indicated that only 60 or 70 percent of them were expressed.

Elated on the success of the study, Allan Jones, CEO of Allen Institute and head of the research team said, “It's an extraordinary achievement.” And for his team’s next assignment, he commented, “Maps of the human brain are also on the way.” They now plan to take up studies on the human neocortex, the outer "wrinkly" part of the brain.