An international team supported by the NIH created an atlas of the basal ganglia across species, mapping millions of cells to help researchers study how the brain circuit develops and contributes to disease.
The basal ganglia are interconnected structures deep in the brain that help shape movement, learning, decision-making and habits. Across the broader research effort, scientists charted more than 25 million cells. A central cross-species study matched 1.8 million cell nuclei from humans, macaques and marmosets and identified 61 shared cell groups.
Researchers combined measurements of gene activity with information about how genes are controlled and where cells are located. This helped connect the cells’ molecular features to the brain’s three-dimensional structure. The project also includes studies of brain development and other species, including mice.
These studies give scientists resources to compare findings in humans with animal models. In one early use of the atlas, researchers looked again at data related to autism. They found possible changes in specific cell populations in the striatum, a major part of the basal ganglia.
The atlas does not itself provide treatments. It may help researchers investigate cell changes associated with conditions such as Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases. It may also help researchers identify questions for future studies.
The BRAIN Initiative Cell Atlas Network plans to build on this work as it pursues broader maps of the brain.