Scientists have just mapped out 21 million brain cells in a key area called the basal ganglia (basically, the part of your brain that helps control movement, emotions, and decisions).
This huge project, part of the US BRAIN Initiative, looked at brains from humans, mice, and monkeys to better understand tricky disorders like Parkinson's and schizophrenia.
Atlas links genes to brain locations
By connecting each cell's genetic activity to its exact spot in the brain, researchers found new clues about how conditions like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism develop, including a previously unrecognized type of brain cell associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
While real-world treatments are still a ways off, this atlas is a big leap toward mapping the whole human brain by 2028, and could someday help create better therapies for neurological disorders.