Mapping the brain's wiring between the cortex and deeper brain regions
BRAIN CONNECTS: The center for Large-scale Imaging of Neural Circuits (LINC)
['FUNDING_OTHER'] · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · NIH-11161393
New imaging tools to map how nerve fibers connect the brain's outer layer (cortex) with deeper brain regions in people and macaque monkeys.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_OTHER'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (BOSTON, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11161393 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
Researchers are building a set of advanced imaging methods that let them see nerve fibers from large bundles down to single axons using three complementary microscopy techniques. They will use polarization-sensitive OCT for label-free imaging of fiber orientation, light-sheet microscopy of cleared and stained tissue to resolve individual axons, and hierarchical phase-contrast tomography to capture axons and their surrounding micro-environment across scales. The team plans to scale these methods to image large parts of a brain hemisphere and will validate findings with tracer injections in macaque brains and human postmortem samples. These maps aim to reveal how cortical areas connect with subcortical structures, information that underlies many brain functions and disorders.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are people willing to donate brain tissue after death or enroll in brain-banking programs that provide postmortem samples for research.
Not a fit: Patients seeking immediate clinical treatments or direct therapeutic benefit will not gain from participating, since this is a tissue-imaging and mapping project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could produce detailed maps of human brain wiring that help scientists understand and eventually treat neurological and psychiatric disorders.
How similar studies have performed: High-resolution imaging methods have produced important brain maps before, but combining these three microscopy techniques and scaling them to large human brain volumes is a new and ambitious approach.
Where this research is happening
BOSTON, UNITED STATES
- MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL — BOSTON, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: YENDIKI, ANASTASIA — MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- Study coordinator: YENDIKI, ANASTASIA
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.