Allan MacKenzie-Graham; Eagle S. Jones; David
W. Shattuck; Ivo D. Dinov; Mihail Bota; Arthur W. Toga
Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Department of Neurology, UCLA &
Neuroscience Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Abstract
The Mouse Atlas Project (MAP) aims to produce
a framework for organizing and analyzing
the large volumes of neuroscientific data produced
by the proliferation of genetically modified
animals. Atlases provide an invaluable aid
in understanding the impact of genetic manipulations
by providing a standard for comparison.
We use a digital atlas as the hub of an
informatics network, correlating imaging data,
such as structural imaging and histology, with
text-based data, such as nomenclature, connections,
and references. We generated brain volumes
using magnetic resonance microscopy
(MRM), classical histology, and immunohisto-chemistry,
and registered them into a common
and defined coordinate system. Specially
designed viewers were developed in order to
visualize multiple datasets simultaneously and
to coordinate between textual and image data.
Researchers can navigate through the brain
interchangeably, in either a text-based or imagebased
representation that automatically updates
information as they move. The atlas also allows
the independent entry of other types of data, the
facile retrieval of information, and the straight-forward
display of images. In conjunction with
centralized servers, image and text data can be
kept current and can decrease the burden on
individual researchers' computers. A comprehensive
framework that encompasses many
forms of information in the context of anatomic
imaging holds tremendous promise for producing
new insights. The atlas and associated
tools can be found at
http://www.loni.ucla.edu/MAP.
Index Entries: Anatomy; atlas; brain; C57BL/6;
gene expression; mouse; MRM.