ANCHOR (Atlas of Neurochemical Characterisation of the Human Brainstem with 3D Reconstruction)

About ANCHOR (Atlas of Neurochemical Characterisation of the Human Brainstem with 3D Reconstruction)

• ANCHOR stands for ‘Atlas of Neurochemical Characterisation of the Human Brainstem with 3D Reconstruction‘.
• It  is the world’s most detailed three-dimensional atlas of the human brainstem.
• Developer: ANCHOR was developed by the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre (SGBC), IIT Madras.
• Technology Used:
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): MRI was integrated into the atlas to support detailed brain mapping.
  • Cellular Histology (Nissl Staining): Histological techniques were used to study cellular structures in the brainstem.
  • Chemo-architecture (Immunohistochemistry): Immunohistochemistry was used to identify and map different cellular components.
• Key Features:
  • Comprehensive Coverage: The atlas includes more than 200 brainstem nuclei and fibre tracts, making it one of the most detailed brainstem maps available.
  • Advanced Reconstruction: It was reconstructed from hundreds of serial sections and more than 500 sections with 08 complementary immunostains for detailed mapping.
  • Life-Span Mapping: The atlas covers human brain development from the prenatal stage to childhood and adulthood.
  • Micron-Level Mapping: The atlas maps the brainstem at a micron-level resolution, allowing users to zoom nearly 1,000 times closer than standard MRI scans.
  • Google Earth for the Brainstem: ANCHOR functions like a “Google Earth” for the brainstem, allowing users to navigate from a complete structural view to the level of individual cells.
  • Public Accessibility: The atlas has been made publicly available through a website so that researchers, clinicians, and patients worldwide can benefit from this research.