Technology Readiness Level: 8
*As assessed with the Human Brain Project's TRL Guide
Technology Description
The Human Brain Project offers a multilevel human brain atlas that integrates information on cytoarchitecture, connectivity, chemoarchitecture , genetics and brain function from the macroscopic and cellular levels into a common framework. This includes large datasets such as BigBrain , a 3D model at microscopic resolution which resolves individual cortical layers and large cells. Working with this multilevel framework is facilitated by the siibra toolsuite , which includes the interactive 3D atlas viewer “siibra - explorer” to navigate 3D maps and reference models in a web browser. Users can select different parcellations, navigate to specific brain regions, and in teractively zoom and rotate to arbitrary viewpoints. The Python library "siibra - python" further allows the embedment of the atlas framework into scripts and computational workflows. Users can also map their own data to the atlases to analyze them contextually.
Exploring the 3D structure of the human brain, down to the level of 20 microns, both from a web browser and API
Finding and selecting brain regions, and using them to explore the Human Brain Project’s comprehensive repository of brain data and models
Integrating the atlas framework into scripts and computational workflows for advanced data analysis and modeling
Competitive Advantages
Efficient 3D navigation
of a microscopic resolution brain atlas through a web browser & API
Fully programmable use
through a comprehensive Python library
Access probabilistic maps
that capture human brain variability, coupled with 3D maps at microscopic resolution
A spatial brain information system
Project custom datasets to reference atlases
to localize and assess neuroscientific data
Applications and Market Potential
Clinical applications: localize clinical findings, perform probabilistic assignment to brain regions, support planning of surgical interventions
Simulation: build and constrain simulation models from anatomical parameters
Education: explore the anatomy of the brain in 3D, and learn more about different brain areas
Neuroimaging: use different reference atlases to aggregate and assess results from neuroimaging studies
Brain-inspired AI: extract detailed information about biological networks for designing novel AI models
Interesting Facts
- The Multilevel Human Brain Atlas is used by neuroanatomists, neuroimaging researchers, clinicians, and, increasingly, computational neuroscientists
- Includes access to the “BigBrain” high-resolution human brain model (Amunts/Evans et al., Science 2013) and the ”Julich-Brain” probabilistic cytoarchitectonic atlas (Amunts et al., Science 2020)
