A New Brain Map Is Changing What We Know About Parkinson’s Disease

A single-cell brain atlas, like BrainSTEM, maps nearly 680,000 cells from the developing human brain at the single-cell level, capturing their genetic signatures, types, and interactions to create a reference for accurate lab-grown neurons. It is crucial for Parkinson's research because it benchmarks lab methods for producing midbrain dopaminergic neurons, which are lost in the disease, ensuring they match human biology for better cell therapies.

Dopaminergic neurons are specialized cells in the midbrain that produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter essential for movement control. In Parkinson's disease, these neurons die off, leading to symptoms like tremors and rigidity; the BrainSTEM atlas helps create accurate lab models of these neurons for improved cell replacement therapies.