Shibata Shinsuke, Komaki Yuji, Seki Fumiko, Inouye Michiko O, Nagai Toshihiro, Okano Hideyuki
Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan Central Institute for Experimental Animals, Tonomachi 3-25-12, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 210-0821, Japan.
Microscopy (Oxf). 2015 Feb;64(1):57-67. doi: 10.1093/jmicro/dfu103. Epub 2014 Dec 18.
The aim of connectomics analysis is to understand whole-brain neural connections. This is accomplished using new biotechnologies. Here, we provide an overview of the recent progress in connectomics analysis. The entire neural network of an organism was revealed for the first time in the nematode. Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) have an advantage of their limited number of neurons and their transparency, allowing the neural network to be visualized using light and electron microscopes (EMs). It is practically impossible to adopt the same approach for mammals because of the large number of neural cells and the opacity of the central nervous system. A variety of new technologies are being developed to perform computer-assisted high-throughput image acquisition and analysis to obtain whole-brain maps for higher species, including mammals. Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging and tractography and three-dimensional imaging with the EM are examples of novel approaches to connectomics. These new technologies will soon be applied not only to Drosophila, C. elegans and rodent research, but also to comprehensive connectomics analysis in a wide range of species including humans and primates. In the near future, results from connectomics analysis will reveal the neural circuitry of the whole brain and enhance our understanding of the human mind and neuropsychiatric diseases.
连接组学分析的目的是了解全脑的神经连接。这是通过使用新的生物技术来实现的。在此，我们概述了连接组学分析的最新进展。线虫首次揭示了生物体的整个神经网络。秀丽隐杆线虫（C. elegans）具有神经元数量有限和身体透明的优势，这使得神经网络能够通过光学显微镜和电子显微镜（EM）进行可视化。对于哺乳动物来说，由于神经细胞数量众多且中枢神经系统不透明，采用同样的方法几乎是不可能的。正在开发各种新技术来进行计算机辅助的高通量图像采集和分析，以获取包括哺乳动物在内的高等物种的全脑图谱。扩散张量磁共振成像和纤维束成像以及电子显微镜三维成像都是连接组学的新方法示例。这些新技术很快不仅将应用于果蝇、秀丽隐杆线虫和啮齿动物研究，还将应用于包括人类和灵长类动物在内的广泛物种的全面连接组学分析。在不久的将来，连接组学分析的结果将揭示全脑的神经回路，并增进我们对人类思维和神经精神疾病的理解。
