Brain Trees Hit Record Number

Mason researcher Giorgio Ascoli rolled out a decade’s worth of work on the NeuroMorpho project on Oct. 31 at the Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study. 

A 100-foot-long banner containing 50,000 reconstructions of neurons, each about the size of a stamp and look like small trees. “You can walk the length of the banner and never see the same neuron twice,” Ascoli said. Scientists worldwide access the database to help their research. The project is akin to sequenced genes in a gene bank. To date, NeuroMorpho.Org is the largest collection of publicly accessible 3D neuronal reconstructions and associated metadata.

Write to the Director of Research Communications in the Office of Research, Michele McDonald, at mmcdon15@gmu.edu.