Nils is a second-year Ph.D. student on the team led by Dr. Stéphane Noselli, working on the establishment of left-right cerebral asymmetries, identifying the genes and mechanisms involved, and further characterizing the roles of these asymmetries. Passionate about how the brain is organized and processes information, Nils has decided to introduce our community to whole-brain connectomes—detailed maps of neuronal connections at the synaptic level across the entire brain, representing the complex architecture of neural networks.

Through his presentation, Nils demonstrated how the impressive advancements in electron microscopy technologies, computer algorithms, and the rise of AI have enabled us to journey from the first connectome of a simple neuronal system (C. elegans, with 302 neurons, in 1986) to the complete connectome of a complex brain with hundreds of thousands of neurons and millions of synapses: the Drosophila brain (the model on which Nils is working). Brain connectomics tools now allow us to study the Drosophila brain in unprecedented detail, visualizing the structure, morphology, and function of each neuron, their number of synaptic connections, and the neurotransmitters involved—complementing in vivo tools in powerful ways.

If you’d like to explore stunning images of connectomes and learn about the latest advances toward the potential full connectome of the human brain, feel free to delve into Nils’ presentation on the common server.

(By Nils Ravel)