Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have created a systematic and detailed map of the cell types of the mouse nervous system. The map, which can provide new clues about the origin of neurological diseases, is presented in the journal Cell. The researchers will now use the same methods to map out the human brain on a detailed level.
The nervous system consists of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of different neurons, but also immune cells, supporting glia cells and cells that constitute vessels and membranes. Our knowledge of these cell types mainly stems from microscopy, which provides information about the shape of cells and can detect certain proteins, and from electrophysiology, where cells are distinguished based on their electrical properties. However, these methods are limited, and there is currently no systematic atlas of the various cell types that make up the mammalian nervous system.
In recent years, Sten Linnarson's research group, and others, have developed methods to map cell types of the brain more systematically in much greater detail than ever before, by measuring gene activity in individual cells.
"You can compare it to the difference between a medieval map and a satellite image: thousands of details that were previously invisible become visible with the use of these new techniques, and the entire map becomes more reliable, explains Sten Linnarson, professor at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics at Karolinska Institute.
Atlas of the nervous system gives clues as to how the disease occurs
With the help of our new atlas of the nervous system, researchers are now able to place disease-causing genes in specific cell types, which provides us with clues as to how the disease occurs. In the long run this might contribute to the development of new drugs or other therapies, says Sten Linnarson.
The mapping of the mouse nervous system is an important first step in a larger project where researchers are now mapping the human brain by using the same methods.
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