By Will DunhamWASHINGTON (Reuters) -Scientists have reached a milestone in an ambitious initiative to chart how the many types of brain cells emerge and mature from the earliest embryonic and fetal stages until adulthood, knowledge that could point to new ways of tackling certain brain-related conditions like autism and schizophrenia.The researchers said they have completed a first draft of atlases of the developing human brain and the developing mammalian brain.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe research focused on human and mouse brain cells, with some work in monkey brain cells too. In their initial draft, the scientists mapped the development of different types of brain cells – tracking how they are born, differentiate and mature into various types with unique functions. They also tracked how genes are turned on or off in these cells over time.The scientists identified key genes controlling brain processes and uncovered some commonalities of brain cell development between human and animal brains, as well as some unique aspects of the human brain, including identifying previously unknown cell types.The findings were detailed in a collection of studies published in Nature and related journals.The research is part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s BRAIN Initiative Cell Atlas Network, or BICAN, an international scientific collaboration to create a comprehensive atlas of the human brain.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”Our brain has thousands of types of cells with extraordinary diversity in their cellular properties and functions, and these diverse cell types work together to generate a variety of behaviors, emotions and cognition,” said neuroscientist Hongkui Zeng, director of brain science at the Allen Institute in Seattle and leader of two of the studies.Researchers have found more than 5,000 cell types in the mouse brain. It is thought there are at least that many in the human brain.”The developing brain is an incredibly enigmatic structure because it is hard to access, comprised of so many distinct cell types, and rapidly changing. While we knew the big- …
