Scientists map entire human brain | illvet.se

Surrounding neurons are the other three main types of cells. These occur in thousands of variants, and, among other things, protect neurons from toxins and microbes, supply them with oxygen and nutrition, and speed up nerve signals.

However, the cells are not just helper cells for neurons. In some cases, they actively control the activity of neurons. A new type of so-called astrocytes, which It was discovered In 2023, for example, it secretes glutamate, which can trigger electrical signals in neurons. This new type of cell has been found to be involved in learning and memory and protects against, among other things, Parkinson's disease and epilepsy.

When researchers at the Brain Initiative try to map the brain, they need not only to get an overview of the brain’s hundreds of billions of cells, but also to know what function different cell types perform. So the project researchers have developed a completely new method.

Scientists color cells

The properties and behavior of a cell are controlled by its genes. Therefore, the strategy of the Brain Initiative is first and foremost to check which genes are active in neurons.

The researchers are using a method that can sequence the RNA of individual cells, which has been improved over the course of the project. RNA can be described as a natural copy of the DNA of all active genes, so by sequencing all the RNA in a cell, the researchers can figure out which genes the cell is using.