A new AI system makes it possible to find precisely where and when mouse brain cells are activated during movement, learning and memory.
The data gathered from these experiments, conducted at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, could someday allow scientists to understand how the human brain functions and is affected by diseases. An article published in Nature Communications explains how the researchers were able to develop this new algorithm.
“When a mouse’s head is restrained for imaging, its brain activity may not truly represent its neurological function,” said Dr Xingde Li, leader of the research group. “To map brain circuits that control daily functions in mammals, we need to see precisely what is happening among individual brain cells and their connections, while the animal is freely moving around, eating and socialising.”
Li's team did not initially set out to use AI in its research. It started by developing ultra-small microscopes...