Researchers have created the most detailed 3D map ever of the mammalian brain from an animal with a brain structure very similar to that of humans.The map and the underlying data set are now freely accessible to the public. They depict more than 200k neurons and half a million neural connections within a cube of mouse skull no larger than a grain.This research is part the Machine Intelligence from Cortical Networks program (MICrONS), which aims to improve machine-learning algorithms through reverse-engineering cerebral cortex, the part of the brain responsible for higher cognitive functions such as reasoning and planning. The data were collected by a group of researchers from Princeton University, Baylor College of Medicine and the Allen Institute.H. Sebastian Seung is a Princeton professor of neuroscience and a leading scientist for MICrONS. It is why it has been so mysterious and glamorous in neuroscience.The creation of the map took five years and had three stages. First, measurements were made of the brain activity of the mouse's body when it was alive. The mouse was able to see active brain cells and processed visual information. This resulted in more than 70,000 images. The MICrONS researchers then took a small section of the brain and cut it into over 25,000 thin pieces. Then, they used electron microscopic to capture more than 150,000,000 high-resolution images.
