They say that trying to comprehend the vastness of the human mind is like trying to understand the universe. Our brain is the literal control center of our entire body. Considering the countless number of operations that it needs to coordinate, it is easy to understand that the brain is truly a complex organ to decipher. So naturally, studying or even trying to locate the part of the brain responsible for any specific operation would be more than an uphill task. But now, thanks to researchers from Karolinska Institutet, we may be one step closer to unlocking a few secrets of the human brain.

Amongst the many unknown causes behind certain sensations, research to find the causes behind the feeling of addiction and the mechanism of decision making have been the ones that have received top priority. This is because understanding these processes better could have far reaching implications and could help individuals recover from serious drug addictions and help them make better decisions. So, the researchers from the Karolinska Institutet dedicated their resources to improve their understanding about the part of the brain responsible for these feelings.

By using mouse models and methods used for mapping cell types and brain tissue the researchers found a way to visualize the organisation different opioid island in striatum. Striatum refers to the part of the brain that is responsible for regulating rewards, motivation, impulse and motor functions amongst other things. It also plays a vital role in decision making and developing addictions. The researchers believe that the spatio-molecular map they’ve created can help doctors better understand this part of the brain and ultimately help them create cures for such issues.

The map is basically provides doctors with a visual representation of the network of nerve cells targeted by opioids such as morphine and heroin, and shows how they are organized in striatum. Additionally, the researchers also developed a spatiomelecular code that can be used to divide striatum into different subregions. And to find this molecular code, they used single-nucleus RNA sequencing, a method to study minor differences in individual cells, and mapping of striatal gene expression. By following this method, the obtained molecular codes that divide the striatum into three different levels: a spatial, a patch matrix, and cell type specific organization. 

This technique not only provides the groundwork to understand the brain’s network for decision making; but also marks the beginning of more research that could help doctors better analyze the functions of different types of nerve cells in different molecularly defined areas. The future looks bright. With an improved understanding of the brain’s processing mechanisms, maybe one day, humans would be able to treat serious brain conditions better than ever before!