All about learning Neuroscience

Writer: Nellie Gkatzimas

Editor: Ritisha Debnath

Neuroscience, though rooted in centuries of human curiosity and gradual understanding of the brain, remains a relatively young and rapidly evolving field. Despite its extensiveness, ongoing research and use of technology to collect and analyze data, we still know little about the human brain and its bewildering complexities. Each year, new discoveries push the boundaries of what we know about neural function and associated behavior. Recently, the International Brain Laboratory (IBL)—a global corporation of neuroscientists working together to uncover how brain wide circuits generate complex behavior—has made an incredible breakthrough. IBL was able to develop the most detailed maps of the brain to-date, allowing researchers to explore complex processes routinely occurring in the brain such as decision-making.

To accomplish this, IBL research teams observed 139 mice across 12 different laboratories located in different parts of the world. The IBL team modeled the function of 621,733 neurons and recorded the electrical signals relying on 699 Neuro pixel probes. These probes are ultra thin electrodes that can simultaneously measure electrical activity of hundreds to thousands of neurons across the brain. The probes covered 279 different areas in the left forebrain, the midbrain, the right hindbrain, as well as the cerebellum, four distinct topologies of the brain anatomy. The mice studied were placed in front of a screen and were trained to use a tiny steering wheel to move a circle to the center of the screen. When they succeeded, the mice received a small sip of sugar water as a reward, but when they failed, they were exposed to a mild noise burst as a punishment.

Each of the 12 different labs was tasked with mapping a specific region of the brain. These different mappings were integrated to create a cohesive visual diagram seen above. The effort was not only an incredible scientific achievement but a great example of the power of scientific collaboration. It marks the first time that such a large group of laboratories came together to collaborate in the field of neuroscience. Without the coordinated effort across a dozen laboratories, this mapping would have been either too difficult, too time-consuming, and too costly for a single laboratory to develop on its own.

​This discovery is prompting scientists to rethink our understanding of the brain’s decision-making process. Previously, decision making was thought to occur mostly in the prefrontal cortex, but the new evidence shows that decision-related activity is distributed throughout the brain, even in sections that were historically thought to be associated with movement, rather than cognition. The new discovery is crucial for understanding certain neurological diseases. Neurological disorders can greatly impact lives, yet much about the brain function remains unknown. Mental and neurological diseases or conditions like depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, OCD, ADHD, addiction, gambling disorder, and schizophrenia, all may have an impact on decision-making. Since the new research indicates that decision making is a process which occurs throughout the brain, scientists may use this new understanding to help them study therapies tailored to managing these neurological diseases. ​

This discovery is highly relevant to the medical field as it has evolved our understanding of decision making in the human brain from one that considered it localized to one or a limited number of brain parts to a complex integrated network across the brain. It is fascinating how our understanding of the brain continues to evolve and change significantly in the 21st century! Being able to understand how decisions emerge from interconnected regions of the brain will likely open up new paths for diagnosing, predicting, and hopefully treating a large range of neurological and psychiatric conditions. Furthermore, the significance of the discovery will highlight the power of collaboration in the medical field and will inspire other researchers to focus on working closer with their colleagues. 

References 

Angelaki, Dora, et al. “A Brain-Wide Map of Neural Activity during Complex Behaviour.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 3 Sept. 2025, www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09235-0#Sec4.

Garlinghouse, Tom. “First Brain-Wide Map of Decision-Making Charted in Mice | Princeton Neuroscience Institute.” Princeton Neuroscience Institute, 3 Sept. 2025, pni.princeton.edu/news/2025/first-brain-wide-map-decision-making-charted-mice.