Sensory Superhighway(01 of16)
Open Image ModalJust like the electrical wires in the national grid, the electrical connections between brain cells, as shown in this picture, have to be well insulated. If this insulation is lost, neurons lose their ability to communicate efficiently. This is what happens in several neurological diseases including multiple sclerosis (MS). (credit:University of Edinburgh)
Navigating Axons: A Circuitous Route(02 of16)
Open Image ModalThis colorful picture shows the wiring in a developing brain. Axons (red) are the cables that neurons use to transmit their information, often over relatively long distances and taking highly circuitous routes. The other colors represent different areas of the brain. (credit:University of Edinburgh)
Glial Grandeur(03 of16)
Open Image ModalAt first glance this may look like a spider’s web but this web measures just 1/20 of a millimeter. It is made up of two types of brain cells – astrocytes in green and a white oligodendrocyte. These cells were originally thought of as the support cells for neurons but it is now known they are essential for many brain functions. (credit:University of Edinburgh)
Female Mosaic(04 of16)
Open Image ModalThis picture of neurons from a female brain highlights those that have switched off the X chromosome inherited from the mother (in green), and those that have silenced the X chromosome inherited from the father (in red). In cases where an altered gene on one of the X chromosomes causes autism or intellectual disability, only around a half of the cells will be affected. This helps to explain why these conditions are less common in women than in men. (credit:University of Edinburgh)
Breakdown In Communication(05 of16)
Open Image ModalThis image shows differences between a typical brain (left) and autism (right). The different colors identify different areas of the brain. (credit:University of Edinburgh)
The Astrocyte(06 of16)
Open Image ModalThese star-shaped cells, or “astrocytes,” were once thought to be simple support cells for neurons. Now we know that they are much more important than this--they also help to create and maintain an environment in the brain that is optimized for electrical and chemical communication. (credit:University of Edinburgh)
Neuron Networks(07 of16)
Open Image ModalScientists can use mathematics to model brain circuitry, as shown in this picture. They use this approach to predict how brain communication is altered in neuropsychiatric disorders, such as anxiety and ADHD. (credit:University of Edinburgh)
Wiring The Brain(08 of16)
Open Image ModalThis is a detailed map of the brain wiring in a sleeping newborn baby (left) and an adult in their seventies (right), visualized using MRI. (credit:University of Edinburgh)
An Electron’s View Of The Brain(09 of16)
Open Image ModalNeurons talk to one another across a gap called the synaptic cleft, rather than being directly connected to one another. A trained eye can identify the wires that are transmitting messages and those that are receiving information in this picture. (credit:University of Edinburgh)
Circuit Building Block(10 of16)
Open Image ModalNeurons have branched projections that extend from their cell body called dendrites which give the cells a tree-like appearance. It’s through these dendrites that neurons receive information from hundreds to thousands of other cells. (credit:University of Edinburgh)
Encoding Space(11 of16)
Open Image ModalOur brains hold specialized neurons called grid cells that help us to keep track of where we are. This heat map shows the regions in space where an individual grid cell becomes active during exploration of a circular room. (credit:University of Edinburgh)
The Egg: Mendel's Moment(12 of16)
Open Image ModalThis picture shows the egg or “oocyte” preparing the genes that will be passed on to its offspring, which are highlighted in red. (credit:University of Edinburgh)
Regenerating Spinal Cord(13 of16)
Open Image ModalImages such as this one, which shows the spinal cord from a zebrafish repairing itself, are helping scientists to study biological mechanisms that could one day reveal treatments for people who are paralyzed due to spinal cord damage. (credit:University of Edinburgh)
High Fidelity(14 of16)
Open Image ModalThis picture shows the difference in brain signals from a typical brain (left) and from a brain affected by a condition similar to Fragile X Syndrome, the most common inherited form of autism (right). (credit:University of Edinburgh)
The Seahorse(15 of16)
Open Image ModalThis is a close-up image of a particular area of the brain called the hippocampus, named from the Greek word for “seahorse” because of its shape. (credit:University of Edinburgh)
A Fragile Balance(16 of16)
Open Image ModalThis image shows a series of MRI pictures from the brain of an individual with Fragile X Syndrome, the most common inherited form of autism. (credit:University of Edinburgh)