India unveils cellular-scale brainstem atlas

Indian researchers at IIT Madras' Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre have produced Anchor, the world's most detailed 3D atlas of the human brainstem at cellular resolution, linking MRI-scale structure to microscopic cell types across fetal to adult brains. Built from over 500 tissue sections and eight chemical markers, the freely accessible atlas maps more than 200 cell-type clusters and aims to bridge medical imaging and pathology, potentially advancing understanding of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, stroke, SIDS and improving neurosurgical navigation.