IIT Madras releases open-access human brainstem atlas for researchers

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) have released a digital atlas of the human brainstem that could help scientists study neurological diseases and better understand one of the brain's most critical regions.

The platform, called ANCHOR (Atlas of Neurochemical Characterization of the Human Brainstem with 3D Reconstruction), provides three-dimensional maps of the brainstem at cellular resolution and has been made publicly available to researchers worldwide.

Developed by the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre (SGBC) at IIT Madras, the atlas contains maps of more than 200 brainstem nuclei and fibre tracts reconstructed from hundreds of tissue sections. Researchers used eight neurochemical markers across more than 500 sections to identify distinct cell populations and create detailed three-dimensional reconstructions.

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The brainstem controls essential functions such as breathing, sleep, heart rate and movement. Scientists say a detailed map of the region could help identify cellular changes associated with neurological disorders and brainstem lesions.

"This is a multimodal framework integrating MRI, histology and detailed chemo-architecture. These maps will help in identifying specific cell populations affected in brainstem lesions, which could be critical for clinical applications," Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, said at the launch.

The release is part of a broader programme at SGBC to create cell-resolution maps of the human brain across different stages of life and disease. The centre plans to image more than 100 human brains and build a repository that can be used by researchers studying neurological conditions.

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"The atlas enables a seamless transition from gross brain structures in MRI to cellular-level features. We envision that these maps and atlases will have significant implications for neuroscience and neuromedicine," said Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam, Head of SGBC.

According to the researchers, the platform combines large-scale MRI data with cellular-level imaging, allowing users to move between anatomical structures and microscopic details within the same framework.

The centre currently has more than 200 researchers, engineers and technicians and collaborates with institutions in India and abroad. Medical institutions, including CMC Vellore, Kilpauk Medical College, MediScan Systems and Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, contributed to the acquisition of brain samples used in the project.

V Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, said the centre is also studying brains affected by diseases such as rabies, dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

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"We now have a way by which we can say what happens to the basic structure of the brain due to diseases. This is a very important first step in understanding what happens in the human brain," he said.

Independent researchers said the atlas could become a useful resource for the neuroscience community because of its integration of imaging, neurochemical and anatomical data.

"We are seeing the confluence of people from engineering, neuroscience and medicine coming together seamlessly," said Shubha Tole, Distinguished Professor at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.
The atlas was released during the BRICS Neuroscience Symposium held at IIT Madras earlier this month and is available for use by researchers and clinicians globally.