A DIGITAL BRAIN ATLAS AND ITS APPLICATION TO THE VISCERAL NEURAXIS

We describe the details and application of a digital brain atlas for t he comparison and integration of graphical neurobiological data. The a tlas consists of multiple sets of high-resolution video images acquire d from histological tissue sections representing a 3-dimensional (3D) volume of an exemplar rat brain. Through an interactive graphical inte rface running on a standard computer workstation, experimental data is brought into register with the atlas. Once in the atlas, coordinate r eference frame data can be compared, analyzed, and visualized in 3 dim ensions. We demonstrate the validity and usefulness of the digital bra in atlas with a series of results on the visceral neuraxis in the rat.