Why in news?
The Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre at IIT Madras released a digital atlas called ANCHOR. The atlas maps the human brainstem in three dimensions using high‑resolution imaging. It was unveiled at the BRICS Neuroscience Symposium in early June 2026 and is available online for researchers. The project aims to help doctors understand brain disorders and design targeted therapies.
Background
The brainstem sits at the base of the brain. It controls vital functions such as breathing, heartbeat and sleep. Existing imaging methods like MRI offer limited detail. To build the atlas, the IIT team collected thousands of thin brainstem sections and stained them with up to eight chemical markers. A computer assembled the images into a 3D model at cellular resolution. The atlas includes more than 200 nuclei and fibre tracts.
Key details
- The atlas zooms nearly 1 000 times beyond a standard MRI.
- Researchers plan to map more than 100 healthy and diseased brains.
- Artificial intelligence helps organise the vast image dataset, which can reach several terabytes per hour.
- The project brings together over 200 scientists from disciplines like neuroscience, computer science and medicine.
Conclusion
ANCHOR is the most detailed 3D atlas of the brainstem yet produced. It could help clinicians navigate brain anatomy and identify diseases earlier. The open platform also sets a benchmark for future brain mapping efforts in India and abroad.
Source: PIB