Scientists were today hopeful of a breakthrough in a range of conditions after they unveiled the world's first computerised brain map.
Researchers spent a staggering four years piecing together minute details from brain tissue including millions of genes.
The brains were chopped up into sections to extract the RNA and find the 25,000 genes present in the human genome.
Brain matter: Scientists hope that by creating a digital map of the brain they will be able to better understand a range on conditions and how they develop
Each detail was loaded into a computer to provide exact directions from oner point of the brain to another.
It is hoped that medics can use the map to understand how the brain works and aid new discoveries in disease and treatments.
The researchers said the map could help them find new clues to conditions rooted in the brain, such as Alzheimer's disease, autism and mental-health disorders.
Incredibly, the brain experts discovered that any two people are 94 per cent alike in terms other genes.
Mapping: Scientists spent four years on the $50m project to link a number of genes with the site on the brain that they correspond with
'Until now, a definitive map of the human brain at this level of detail simply hasn't existed,' Allan Jones from the Allen Institute for Brain Science told the Wall Street Journal.
'For the first time, we have generated a comprehensive map of the brain that includes the underlying biochemistry.'
Researches have for years struggled to link symptoms of the diseases they study to the biochemistry of genes that might be responsible for them.
They have therefore been unable to get full picture of the brain in order to tackle debilitating diseases.
They picked two adult male brains and set about working on the information in the $50m project Tissues: This snapshot from the map shows all the locations in the brain where Prozac's biochemical targets are expressed
Scientists catalogued 1,000 'landmarks' in each of two brains then linked those tissues to thousands of genes they work in conjunction with to neural development and function.
By using the map it is possible to see how strongly or weakly different genes act on different parts of the brain.
'The Allen atlas tells you where a gene is turned on in the brain and that's why it is important,' said neurologist Jeffrey L. Noebels, who studies epilepsy at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Dr. Noebels said that knowing where genes are active was central to knowing how brain diseases work.
The project has al;ready been used by some 4,000 brain scientists who are using the map to probe brains.
Researchers now want to look into another eight brains by the end of the year in order to better understand the differences between people. They will also research the brain of women to see what differences are present.
Each one of us has a brain that is 94% similar to everyone else’s, including Einstein’s, shows the world’s first computerised gene map of the brain. The human brain is easily the most complex known living structure, controlling all the body’s activities, from heart rate to emotions, sex, learning memory. By detaining genes at work throughout the brain, the Allen Human Brain Atlas released this week unlocks the final mysteries of what constitutes grey matter.
It took scientists at Seattle’s Allen Institute of Brain Science US $55 million and four years of research to design this interactive online research tool that offers limitless potential to understand how the brain works and fuel drug discovery for a range of brain diseases and disorders, from mental illnesses and addictions, to obesity, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, autism and more.
The essential genetic blueprint shows that at least 82% of all human genes are expressed in the brain. The detail and accuracy comes from the analysis of two human brains — both male — using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and a variation of MRI called diffusion tensor imaging. The data showed 94% similarity between human brains. These patterns, say scientists, offer a critical foundation for translational and clinical research.
Allan Jones, the CEO of the institute, told Wired magazine how the brains were chopped up into small pieces to extract RNA — ribonucleic acid, which along with DNA and proteins is essntial for all known forms of life — that was then used to obtain a read-out of the 25,000 genes in the human genome. Next, this information was put together to create a detailed map of the brain.
The Atlas can be compared to a multi-functional GPS navigation system that helps scientists identify 1,000 anatomical sites in the human brain, backed by more than 100 million data points that indicate the particular gene expression and underlying biochemistry of each site. For example, it can help researchers quickly create a 3D snapshot of all the locations in the brain where Prozac’s biochemical targets are expressed.
The data also helps identify how disease and accidents — including physical brain injuries and mental health disorders — affect specific areas of the brain. It can also enhance drug delivery by pinpointing exactly where a particular drug acts anatomically in the brain, which would ultimately enhance the effect of the treatment while lowering side effects.
The World Health Organisation estimates brain-related disorders will be the leading cause of disability in 2020, which makes a better understanding of grey matter, critical.
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