Scientists create brain atlas

London, July 28: A map created by scientists may unlock mysteries of how the human brain controls everything from language to movement.
The international team behind the atlas used thousands of images of the brains of people of all ages and with a range of conditions. They hope to create the most comprehensive picture yet of the brain's structures and functions, according to a BBC report. They have carried out brain scans on 7,000 people to obtain the data needed to create the map and they will continue to add to the atlas as more research is carried out.

The map allows scientists to uncover the secrets of how the brain works. Scientists from six countries have been involved in putting the atlas together. They hope the data will tell them more about which areas of the brain control specific functions in the body, the report said.

They also aim to find out more about how the brains of people with particular conditions such as Alzheimer's disease or schizophrenia differ from healthy brains. The brain map could help them spot disease earlier.

Everyone's brain is different, a different shape and size and organised differently. The only way to understand how the brain works is to gather information from as many scans as possible, in an attempt to establish what an "average" brain looks like.

"No two brains are the same. Their shape. Their size. The way they are organised. You can't just point at an area and say 'Here's the seat of language'", said Dr John Mazziotta, an expert on the imagery of the human brain from the University of California, Los Angeles. Bureau Report