A team has scaled up the powerful brain-mapping tool BARseq. The technology is now capable of mapping millions of neurons throughout the brain. Identifying how neural connections are wired up over time is key to understanding the brain's perceptual abilities. It may also lead to better treatments for a variety of neurological conditions.
Chen is now an assistant investigator at the Allen Brain Institute. He recently reunited with CSHL Professor Anthony Zador to upgrade BARseq's capabilities. What does that look like? Instead of thousands of neurons, BARseq can now map millions. "People have known for a while that visual inputs are very important in shaping the brain," Chen explains."But we don't know, at the exact cell-type resolution BARseq provides, what actually happens."
Chen is now working to expand BARseq's capabilities even further. He and his team are using the technique to investigate how connections are wired in developing brains and how these connections evolve.
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