Scientists at the Salk Institute are unveiling a new brain-mapping neurotechnology called Single Transcriptome Assisted Rabies Tracing (START). The cutting-edge tool combines two advanced technologies-;monosynaptic rabies virus tracing and single-cell transcriptomics-;to map the brain's intricate neuronal connections with unparalleled precision. Using the technique, the researchers became the first to identify the patterns of connectivity made by transcriptomic subtypes of inhibitory neurons in the cerebral cortex.
They say having this ability to map the connectivity of neuronal subtypes will drive the development of novel therapeutics that can target certain neurons and circuits with greater specificity. Such treatments could be more effective and produce fewer side effects than current pharmacological approaches. The study, published on September 30, 2024, in Neuron , is the first to resolve cortical connectivity at the resolution of transcriptomic cell types.
"When it comes to treating neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, we've essentially been trying to fix a machine without fully understanding its parts," says senior author Edward Callaway, professor and Vincent J. Coates Chair in Molecular Neurobiology at Salk. "START is helping us create a detailed blueprint of the brain's many parts and how they all connect.
" It's like trying to repair a car without knowing what an engine or an axle is, he says. But if you had a diagram of the car's parts, you could start to u.
