Scientists publish largest atlas of the basal ganglia

Researchers across nine countries have published the most detailed multi-species cellular atlas of the basal ganglia, a brain region tied to major psychiatric and neurological diseases. The open dataset spans 25.5 million cells and is meant to speed discovery across brain disorders and aging research.

Why it matters: - The basal ganglia is deeply linked to Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, addiction and autism. - A clearer cell-by-cell map of this region could help researchers pinpoint which specific brain cells drive disease risk and progression. - The atlas is openly shared, which could accelerate follow-on research across the neuroscience field.

What happened: - Dozens of labs and hundreds of scientists across nine countries and more than 50 institutions published a multi-species cellular atlas of the basal ganglia. - The work appears in a package of 26 studies in the Cell Press family of journals. - Researchers used single-cell molecular profiling to analyze 25.5 million cells from human, macaque and marmoset brains. - The data includes 21.0 million human cells, 3.0 million cells from rhesus and cynomolgus macaques, and 1.5 million marmoset cells. - The atlas is the first major working model of a standardized cross-species brain cell reference atlas. - The project is the first major output of the BRAIN Initiative Cell Atlas Network, or BICAN.

The details: - The atlas covers cell types and datasets across human, macaque, marmoset and mouse. - Researchers used a common reference system to classify and analyze the brain region’s complexity. - The studies also looked at epigenetic regulation, spatial organization and physiological properties. - Ed Lein said the different data types and labs largely agreed, which supports the atlas as a shared framework for the field. - Hongkui Zeng said disease conditions are cell-type-specific, making accurate cell-type lists essential for understanding brain disease. - The work is funded by the National Institutes of Health’s Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® Initiative, part of the NIH BRAIN Initiative®.

Between the lines: - The project is as much about standardizing neuroscience as it is about new discoveries. - The common language for cell classification may matter as much as any single finding because it lets different labs compare results directly. - Open data sharing could make the atlas more useful than a standalone publication by letting outside researchers test new hypotheses.

What's next: - The BICAN consortium is working toward a complete parts list of all cell types in the human brain. - Researchers say this atlas is a key step toward that larger goal. - The open dataset is expected to fuel new studies on brain function, disease and aging. - Findings from the atlas could support future efforts to develop better models, biomarkers and treatments for brain disorders.

The bottom line: - The basal ganglia atlas gives neuroscience its most detailed shared reference yet for one of the brain’s most disease-relevant regions.