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The primary data of the Allen Mouse Brain Connectivity Atlas consists of high-resolution images of axonal projections targeting different anatomic regions or various cell types using Cre-dependent specimens. Each data set is processed through an informatics data analysis pipeline to obtain spatially mapped quantified projection information.

From the API, you can:

Image Modified  Download images
Image Modified Download quantified projection values by structure
Image Modified Download quantified projection values as 3-D grids
Image Modified Query the image synchronization service
Image Modified Download atlas images, drawings and structure ontology

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Figure:Experiment detail page for an injection into the primary visual area.

See the image download page to learn how to download images at different resolutions and regions of interest.

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The output of the pipeline is quantified projection values at a grid voxel level and at a structure level according to the integrated reference atlas ontology. The grid level data are used downstream to provide a correlative search service and to support visualization of spatial relationships. See the informatics processing white paper for more details.

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DownloadAtlas DownloadAtlas

3-D Reference Models

The backbone of the automated pipeline is an annotated 3-D reference space based on the same Specimen used for the coronal plates of the integrated reference atlas. A brain volume was reconstructed from the SectionImages using a combination of high frequency section-to-section histology registration with low-frequency histology to (ex-cranio) MRI registration. This first-stage reconstructed volume was then aligned with a sagittally sectioned Specimen. Once a straight mid-sagittal plane was achieved, a synthetic symmetric space was created by reflecting one hemisphere to the other side of the volume.

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% -----------
% Download and unzip the 100 micron gridAnnotation zip files
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%  grid volume size
sizeGrid = [133, 81, 115];

% ANOGD = 3-D matrix of grid-level annotation labels
fid = fopen( 'P56_Mouse_gridAnnotation_100micron/gridAnnotation.raw', 'r', 'l' );
ANOGD = fread( fid, prod(sizeGrid), 'uint32' );
fclose( fid );
ANOGD = reshape(ANOGD,sizeGrid);

% Display one coronal and one sagittal section
figure;imagesc(squeeze(ANOGD(73,:,:)));colormap(lines);caxis([0 3000]);
figure;imagesc(squeeze(ANOGD(:,:,78)));colormap(lines);caxis([0 3000]);

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ImageSynch ImageSynch

Image Alignment

The aim of image alignment is to establish a mapping from each SectionImage to the 3-D reference space. The module reconstructs a 3-D Specimen volume from its constituent SectionImages and registers the volume to the 3-D reference model by maximizing mutual information between the red channel of the experimental data and the average template.

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Figure: Signal detection for projection data with injection in the primary motor area. Screenshot of a segmentation mask showing detected signal in the ventral posterolateral nucleus of the thalamus (VPL), internal capsule (int), caudoputamen (CP) and supplemental somatosensory area (SSs). In the Web application, the mask is color-coded for display: green indicates a pixel is part of an edge-like object while yellow indicates pixels that are part of a more diffuse region.

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Expression3DGrids Expression3DGrids

Projection Data Gridding

For each dataset, the gridding module creates a low resolution 3-D summary of the labeled axonal trajectories and resamples the data to the common coordinate space of the 3-D reference model. Casting all data into a canonical space allows for easy cross-comparison between datasets. The projection data grids can also be viewed directly as 3-D volumes or used for analysis (i.e. target, spatial and correlative searches).

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Figure: ISH SectionDataSet (id=73636089) for gene Rasd2 showing enriched expression in the striatum (left). Projection SectionDataSet (id=73636089) with injection in the anterior part of the basolateral amygdalar nucleus (BLAa) showing projection to the striatum and other brain areas (center). One coronal slice of the BLAa projection density grid (green) merged with an upsampled and interpolated Rasd2 expression density grid (red).

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ExpressionStructures ExpressionStructures

Projection Structure Unionization

Projection signal statistics can be computed for each structure delineated in the reference atlas by combining or unionizing grid voxels with the same 3-D structural label. While the reference atlas is typically annotated at the lowest level of the ontology tree, statistics at upper level structures can be obtained by combining measurements of the hierarchical children to obtain statistics for the parent structure. The unionization process also separates out the left versus right hemisphere contributions as well as the injection versus non-injection components.

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