Scientists have discovered 97 regions in the brain that have never been known before

If you ask a neuroscientist about brain maps, chances are they'll show you the maps that were born more than a century ago. With modern technologies, scientists have come up with a new, more complete and detailed brain map.

This new study is published in the journal Nature. Researchers have released a new brain map with 180 regions, 97 of which have never been known. With data collected using the latest technologies, the team focuses on the whole brain, including four biological features: shape, structure, function, links.

Picture 1 of Scientists have discovered 97 regions in the brain that have never been known before
New brain maps with 180 regions, of which 97 have never been known before.

Data were collected from 210 healthy adults. Thanks to the large amount of data, the team can produce a more detailed brain map than previous maps. In it, 97 newly identified regions of the brain have specific regional characteristics of the structure, connections and activities involved in other areas of the brain. Researcher Matthew Glasser said that "each brain region has its own fingerprint . "

Picture 2 of Scientists have discovered 97 regions in the brain that have never been known before
Another image provides information about the locations of rich myelin (red, yellow) or less myelin (green, purple).

From the research team, David Van Essen said: "Most of the new areas are in the area where we associate with higher cognitive functions ." Some previously undiscovered regions are located in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which controls many functions such as working memory and planning.

Picture 3 of Scientists have discovered 97 regions in the brain that have never been known before Brain scans show active areas (red) when participants are told to read stories.

The team hopes that this map and new technologies will soon be applied to neurosurgery or diagnosis of brain disorders such as addiction or autism.