"The most complete map of the brain made"

It took a lot of pictures – read 21 million – but you have some too.

Comprehensive mapping of the human brain is something scientists can only dream of until now. Our brains are so complicated that it will take a long time before this dream becomes reality. Nevertheless, researchers have recently taken an important step in the direction of mapping the brain of a fruit fly in detail. And you know what they say: a lot of little ones make a big one.

See also: Where do fruit flies come from quickly?

Hundred thousand cells

The brain of the fruit fly (19459008) Drosophila melanogaster ]) is the size of a poppy seed, and consists of 100,000 neurons (nerve cells). Making a detailed map of this was not a piece of cake. The team therefore has nothing to do with conventional methods.

Therefore, she developed a new method, using the technique called serial transmission electron microscopy . It worked as follows. First, cell membranes with heavy metals were labeled, indicating the contours of the neurons and synapses with which they were connected.

Then, electron beams were pulled through the brain. These electrons are scattered and reflected when they hit the metal – the same way when X-rays are blocked when they hit the bone.

21 million brains

In addition, two high-speed cameras and two custom systems collected millions making brain images much faster than normal. In seven minutes, an image of a slice of brain can be produced – about five times faster than with conventional methods.

In total, 21 million images of more than seven thousand brain slices were needed to create a complete picture. of the brain of an adult fruit fly.

Close

The map of the brain has already led to a number of discoveries. This is how the group discovered neurons and a significant signal transfer that had not been previously identified. The researchers also identified a group of neurons in the brain that are involved in memory and learning.

Can the same technique be applied to our brain? This is difficult, since people have millions of times more brain cells than a fruit fly, so the method will need to be dramatically increased before scientists can map the human brain. Oh well .

Sources: Cell (pdf), ScienceAlert, Engadget

Image: Z. Zheng et al./Cell 2018

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