Navigating the Brain

Our brains are unique and incredibly complex, constantly forming and establishing neural connections that control and monitor an array of bodily functions, such as speech and movement. When we perform such functions, different areas of our brain become active, which we can study using a variety of neuroimaging tools. Scientists have now created a database of 10 individual brain maps that can be used as a resource by neuroscientists around the world. Pictured is one such map correlating brain areas with activity, created using functional MRI and resting-state functional connectivity scans while they were performing cognitive tasks and resting, respectively. The brain maps created are highly detailed and individualised, showcasing neural brain connections and their organisation. Adding to this database in the future will mean a more diverse sample of individual functional brain architecture, which could help shed further light on our body’s most complex organ.

Written by Katie Panteli

Katie Panteli

Writer

Katie, a Warwick Biomed graduate, works for a science-publishing house in London with some of the world's most respected scientific minds. She's most interested in human biology, anything and everything that makes us tick.

• Image from Washington University
• Departments of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
• Image copyright held by the original authors
• Research published in NeuroImage, February 2017