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Contributions to Neuroscience

The different types of diverse cells in the central nervous system originate from varying gene expression. The mapping of genes in the brain allows researchers to correlate forms and functions. The Allen Brain Atlas lets researchers view the areas of differing expression in the brain which enables the viewing of neural connections throughout the brain. Viewing these pathways through differing gene expression as well as functional imaging techniques permits the connection between gene expression, cell types, and pathway function in relation to behaviors or phenotypes.

Even though the majority of research has been done in mice, 90% of genes in mice have a counterpart in humans. This makes the Atlas particularly useful for modeling diseases. The gene expression patterns in normal individuals provide a standard for comparing and understanding altered phenotypes. Extending information learned from mouse diseases will better the understanding of human neurological disorders. The atlas can show which genes and particular areas are effected in neurological disorders; the action of a gene in a disease can be evaluated in conjunction with general expression patterns and these data could shed light on the role of the particular gene in the disorder.

3D Brain Explorer

The Allen Brain Atlas website contains a downloadable 3-D interactive Brain explorer. The explorer is essentially a search engine for locations of gene expression; this is particularly useful in finding regions that express similar genes. Users can delineate networks and pathways using this application by connecting regions that co-express a certain gene. The explorer uses a multicolor scale and contains multiple planes of the brain that let viewers see differences in density and expression level. The images are a composite of many averaged samples so it is useful when comparing to individuals with abnormally low gene expression.

References:

• Sunkin, S. M., and J. G. Hohmann. "Insights from Spatially Mapped Gene Expression in the Mouse Brain." Human Molecular Genetics 16.R2 (2007): R209-219.

• Olszewski, P., J. Cedernaes, F. Olsson, A. Levine, and H. Schioth. "Analysis of the Network of Feeding Neuroregulators Using the Allen Brain Atlas." Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 32.5 (2008): 945-56.

• Ed S. et. al "Genome-wide Atlas of Gene Expression in the Adult Mouse Brain." Nature 445.7124 (2006): 168-76.

• Callaway, Ewen. "Allen Institute Aims to Crack Neural Code." Nature (2011)

• Burns, Quiana. "New Brain Atlas Unveils 3-D Gene Map."abcnews.go.com. abs News, 26 009 2006. Web. 15 Mar 2012.

• Gewin, Virginia. "A Golden Age of Brain exploration."PLOS Biology. 3.1 (2005): 13-15. Web. 15 Mar. 2012.

• Koester, SE. "Mouse Maps of gene Expression in the Brain."Genome Biology. 8.5 (2007): 212. Web. 15 Mar. 2012.

• Jones, AR, CC Overly, and SM Sunskin. "The Allen Brain Atlas: 5 Years and Beyond." Nature Reviews. 10. (2009): 4-9. Web. 15 Mar. 2012.