Status of Current Research Efforts

Our web site will allow "one-stop shopping" for scientists interested in mapping neuroanatomical quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Of course, the MBL is also extremely useful in studying nongenetic sources of CNS differences, for example, right-left asymmetries, sex differences, effects of age, and correlations between structures within and across genotypes. As discussed in the Introduction to this application, we will integrate quantitative information (e.g., brain weight, body weight, age, sex, etc.), high-quality histology, through-focus high-magnification movies, and the tools for segmenting ROIs, with detailed genetic information and the tools to map QTLs. In this section of the proposal we first briefly consider the complementary roles of complex trait analysis and stereological principles in biology and in neuroscience. This is followed by a discussion of our progress in mapping QTLs for different types of CNS traits. We conclude with an explanation of the Mouse Brain Library and our progress to date in creating this resource.