Friday, 07 November, 2025
Scientists have achieved a major milestone in an ambitious project to map how the thousands of types of brain cells emerge and mature—from the earliest embryonic and fetal stages through to adulthood. This work could open new avenues for understanding and treating brain-related conditions such as autism and schizophrenia.
The research team has completed the first draft of atlases for both the developing human brain and the developing mammalian brain. The study primarily examined human and mouse brain cells, with supplementary work in monkey brains. The scientists traced how different cell types are born, differentiate, and mature, while also tracking gene activity over time in these cells.
The findings revealed key genes that govern brain development, highlighted similarities between human and animal brain cells, and uncovered previously unknown cell types unique to humans. The results were published in a series of studies in Nature and associated journals.
The work is part of the US National Institutes of Health’s BRAIN Initiative Cell Atlas Network (BICAN), an international collaboration aimed at producing a comprehensive atlas of the human brain.
“Our brain contains thousands of cell types, each with extraordinary diversity in properties and function. Together, these cells underpin behaviour, 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 catalogued more than 5,000 cell types in the mouse brain and believe the human brain may contain at least as many. “The developing brain is exceptionally complex and dynamic. While we previously understood large-scale developmental patterns, these atlases provide a detailed view of the individual pieces that make up the developing brain,” said UCLA neuroscientist Aparna Bhaduri, a co-leader of the research.
The study promises several practical applications. By comparing brain development in humans and animals, scientists hope to better understand the origins of human intelligence. A clearer picture of normal development will also allow researchers to pinpoint changes in diseased brains, both in human patients and animal models.
“This knowledge could lead to more precise gene- and cell-based therapies for conditions such as autism, ADHD, schizophrenia, and other neurodevelopmental disorders,” Zeng said.
The atlases cover key brain regions, including the neocortex, responsible for higher cognitive functions, and the hypothalamus, which regulates essential functions such as mood, sleep, hunger, and body temperature. One study found that some cells in human brain tumours resemble embryonic progenitor cells, suggesting tumours may exploit developmental pathways to drive malignancy.
The research also highlighted unique aspects of human brain development. For example, cortical cells in humans differentiate over a prolonged period, reflecting the extended developmental timeline from fetus to adolescence, compared with faster development in animals. Newly identified cell types were found in the neocortex and striatum, the latter of which controls movement and other functions.
Bhaduri noted that much work remains. “Our ultimate goal is to understand not just the components of the developing brain, but also how vulnerabilities arise in neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. This is also relevant to brain cancer, as developmental programmes often re-emerge in tumours. These studies represent significant progress toward that long-term goal.”
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Scientists have achieved a major milestone in an ambitious project to map how the thousands of types of brain cells emerge and mature—from the earliest embryonic and fetal stages through to adulthood. This work could open new avenues for understanding and treating brain-related conditions such as autism and schizophrenia.
The research team has completed the first draft of atlases for both the developing human brain and the developing mammalian brain. The study primarily examined human and mouse brain cells, with supplementary work in monkey brains. The scientists traced how different cell types are born, differentiate, and mature, while also tracking gene activity over time in these cells.
The findings revealed key genes that govern brain development, highlighted similarities between human and animal brain cells, and uncovered previously unknown cell types unique to humans. The results were published in a series of studies in Nature and associated journals.
The work is part of the US National Institutes of Health’s BRAIN Initiative Cell Atlas Network (BICAN), an international collaboration aimed at producing a comprehensive atlas of the human brain.
“Our brain contains thousands of cell types, each with extraordinary diversity in properties and function. Together, these cells underpin behaviour, 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 catalogued more than 5,000 cell types in the mouse brain and believe the human brain may contain at least as many. “The developing brain is exceptionally complex and dynamic. While we previously understood large-scale developmental patterns, these atlases provide a detailed view of the individual pieces that make up the developing brain,” said UCLA neuroscientist Aparna Bhaduri, a co-leader of the research.
The study promises several practical applications. By comparing brain development in humans and animals, scientists hope to better understand the origins of human intelligence. A clearer picture of normal development will also allow researchers to pinpoint changes in diseased brains, both in human patients and animal models.
“This knowledge could lead to more precise gene- and cell-based therapies for conditions such as autism, ADHD, schizophrenia, and other neurodevelopmental disorders,” Zeng said.
The atlases cover key brain regions, including the neocortex, responsible for higher cognitive functions, and the hypothalamus, which regulates essential functions such as mood, sleep, hunger, and body temperature. One study found that some cells in human brain tumours resemble embryonic progenitor cells, suggesting tumours may exploit developmental pathways to drive malignancy.
The research also highlighted unique aspects of human brain development. For example, cortical cells in humans differentiate over a prolonged period, reflecting the extended developmental timeline from fetus to adolescence, compared with faster development in animals. Newly identified cell types were found in the neocortex and striatum, the latter of which controls movement and other functions.
Bhaduri noted that much work remains. “Our ultimate goal is to understand not just the components of the developing brain, but also how vulnerabilities arise in neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. This is also relevant to brain cancer, as developmental programmes often re-emerge in tumours. These studies represent significant progress toward that long-term goal.”
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