The following is an edited excerpt.
A new 3D brain map called BigBrain is the most detailed ever constructed. The precise placement of the neurons that make up our brain circuitry has been difficult to map, largely because the human brain’s surface is covered with folds and creases.
To make the new map, scientists embedded a brain in wax, sliced it into more than 7400 sections each 20 micrometres thick and made digital images of the slices at a resolution of 20 micrometres.
Because the images’ resolution was so high, the computer was able to determine the 3D shape of each fold correctly, even if the slice had been cut at an angle.
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Read the full story here: 3D map of human brain is the most detailed ever
Additional Resources:
The stories below offer additional insight into the amount of effort it took the BigBrain team to achieve their brain-mapping milestone.
- A Detailed 3-D Atlas of a Human Brain, MIT Technology Review
- The ‘Google Earth’ of 3D Brain Maps is Here, The Atlantic
- The Human Brain in Exquisite Detail, The Scientist
