all Jeff Lichtman stories

Unraveling nerves, understanding the brain

404132862 — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 10:34:57 -0500

Diverse ‘connectomes’ hint at genes’ limits in the nervous system

404132862 — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:01:00 -0500

Genetics may play a surprisingly small role in determining the precise wiring of the mammalian nervous system, according to painstaking mapping of every neuron projecting to a small muscle mice use to move their ears. These first-ever mammalian “connectomes,” or complete neural circuit diagrams, reveal that neural wiring can vary widely even in paired tissues on the left and right sides of the same animal.

Neuroscience: Making connections: By turning neurons technicolour, Jeff Lichtman exposed the brain's wiring

404132862 — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:31:14 -0500

Researchers create colorful "Brainbow" images of the nervous system

404132862 — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:07:16 -0400

By activating multiple fluorescent proteins in neurons, neuroscientists at Harvard University are imaging the brain and nervous system as never before, rendering their cells in a riotous spray of colors dubbed a "Brainbow."

Accelerating science with innovative computing

50443248 — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:31:17 -0400

How daunting a task is it, in an age when it is possible to visualize structures and to see them at magnifications not even dreamed of a short time ago, to produce a "wiring diagram" of the human brain?

It is an extreme challenge when one considers that the amount of information that needs to be gathered, manipulated, and analyzed is "equal to all the written materials in all the libraries in the world," Jeff Lichtman, professor of molecular and cellular biology in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, explained to those attending the inaugural symposium of Harvard's new Initiative in Innovative Computing.