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brain map: MILESTONE IN BRAIN research - decision-making MAP UNVEILED
1. What did the study achieve?
Researchers from 22 laboratories created the first near-complete brain map showing how decisions are made. Using data from 139 mice, they tracked activity from over 600,000 neurons in 279 brain regions, covering about 95% of the mouse brain.
2. How was the data collected?
The team used Neuropixels probes, advanced digital electrodes capable of recording thousands of neurons at once. Mice wore electrode “helmets” while performing visual tasks, such as steering a striped circle on a screen to receive sugar water as a reward.
3. What did the map reveal?
Earlier studies suggested only a few brain areas controlled decisions. The new map shows that decision-making involves widespread brain activity, from visual processing at the back of the brain to motor areas for movement and reward regions after successful actions.
4. How did prior knowledge influence decisions?
When the visual cue was faint, mice relied on memory from previous trials to make choices. The study confirmed that the brain uses prior knowledge early in the decision-making process, integrating expectations with sensory inputs.
5. Why is this considered groundbreaking?
This is the largest dataset ever created on decision-making activity in the brain. The International Brain Laboratory, which coordinated the work, is likened to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey in astronomy for its collaborative scale. It marks a shift from isolated lab studies to global, multi-lab neuroscience collaborations.
Synopsis
An international team has produced the first near-complete brain map of decision-making, recording activity from 600,000 neurons across 95% of the mouse brain. Using Neuropixels probes, they tracked how visual input, memory, motor control, and reward systems interact. The findings show that decision-making is not localized but involves a vast neural network. This collaboration, spanning 22 labs, is expected to reshape brain research much like large-scale sky surveys transformed astronomy.