Nature: Zoom in on the smallest details of fetal brain development

Researchers at the Karolinska Institute have developed a detailed molecular map of fetal brain development
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The research, published in the top journal Nature, is based on the so-called single-cell technology and was carried out in mice

"Brain development is well described, and the main cell types are already known
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Sten Linnarsson, research leader and professor in the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics at Karolinska Institutet, said: "What's new in our atlas It lies in its high resolution and detail

Molecular map 

The result is a map that accurately shows how all cells in the brain develop from an early embryo
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For example, we can see how the number of early neural stem cells first increased and then decreased, then replaced by transitional forms in a few waves, and finally matured into ready-made neurons

The researchers also showed how early stem cell lines branched and produced several different types of mature cells, much like a family tree
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The current research is led by PhD student Giole La Manno, who is now a researcher in Lausanne, Switzerland, and Kimberly Siletti is a postdoctoral researcher in the Linnarsson group
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This research includes the International Human Cell Atlas (humancellatlas.

Specific cells in the brain

Therefore, the next step in the researchers' work is to create an atlas of the human brain, both in adult and fetal development
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"A map like this is very important for studying the brain, understanding brain function and its diseases
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Cells are the basic part of the body, and diseases of the body are always expressed in specific cells