The sequencing of the genomes of humans and other organisms is accelerating the pace of discovery in all areas of biology, including brain research.

Researchers will be able to study a broad range of fundamental questions about genetic influences on mental processes and disease over the coming years as sequences become available. These sequences will make genetic manipulation of model organisms easier and more precise, which will enable detailed mapping of basic activities within and between brain cells. Technologies based on the sequences - including DNA arrays to detect expression of thousands of individual genes - will soon make it possible to determine the set of genes expressed in individual neurons in different brain structures and at different stages of development. Combining genetic, behavioral and brain imaging approaches will vastly improve diagnosis and treatment of illnesses that differ from each other in quite subtle ways. On a larger scale, comparison of gene sequences and structures across organisms should reveal evolutionary relationships between specific brain regions of humans and other species, increasing the relevance of model systems such as C. elegans.

The ability to genetically manipulate specific regions of the central nervous system in animal models will greatly advance systems analysis of neural function. Genetic approaches will thus comprise an important part of the technical armament for research in the McGovern Institute.