The authors describe the development of a four-dimensional atlas and refere
nce system that includes both macroscopic and microscopic information on st
ructure and function of the human brain in persons between the ages of 18 a
nd 90 years. Given the presumed large but previously unquantified degree of
structural and functional variance among normal persons in the human popul
ation, the basis for this atlas and reference system is probabilistic. Thro
ugh the efforts of the International Consortium for Brain Mapping (ICBM), 7
,000 subjects will be included in the initial phase of database and atlas d
evelopment. For each subject, detailed demographic, clinical, behavioral, a
nd imaging information is being collected. In addition, 5,800 subjects will
contribute DNA for the purpose of determining genotype-phenotype-behaviora
l correlations. The process of developing the strategies, algorithms, data
collection methods, validation approaches, database structures, and distrib
ution of results is described in this report. Examples of applications of t
he approach are described for the normal brain in both adults and children
as well as in patients with schizophrenia. This project should provide new
insights into the relationship between microscopic and macroscopic structur
e and function in the human brain and should have important implications in
basic neuroscience, clinical diagnostics, and cerebral disorders.