What if we could map how behaviors play out across the entire brain at the level of single cells? What if, using that data, we could measure how prior knowledge affects decision-making? As featured on CNN, two new studies from the International Brain Laboratory (IBL) suggest it’s no longer a question of “if” but “when.”
The IBL is a research group of more than 20 neuroscience labs around the world. Core members include Anne Churchland (UCLA) and Tatiana Engel (Princeton University). Both previously ran labs at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) and are co-authors of the studies. So is Anne Urai (Leiden University), a former CSHL postdoc. CSHL Professor Anthony Zador is also a core member of the IBL and a co-author of the decision-making study.
“The brain-wide map is undoubtedly an impressive achievement, but it marks a beginning, not the grand finale,” says Engel in a statement. “The IBL has shown how a global team of scientists can unite, pushing each other beyond comfort zones into uncharted territories no single lab could reach alone.”
CSHL is no stranger to global collaboration. The Lab’s Meetings & Courses Program attracts some 10,000 scientists to campus each year. The Laboratory also hosts visiting scientists for extended stays in residence. The Foundations for the Future project aims to expand CSHL’s capabilities in both areas while providing added resources for research on neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and for initiatives like neuroAI—the intersection of neuroscience and artificial intelligence.
Written by: Samuel Diamond, Senior Communications Strategist | diamond@cshl.edu | 516-367-5055