News Release

Book is the first high-resolution digital mouse brain atlas designed for Web applications

Book Announcement

Wiley

Mouse and rat brain atlases have long been used to investigate human neurology. However, traditional brain atlases offer an incomplete map the brain and its function. “The Allen Reference Atlas: A Digital Color Brain Atlas of the C57BL/6J Male Mouse” (Wiley-Blackwell; Book/CD-ROM Edition; January 2008; $195.00; 376 Pages; Paperback; 978-0-470-05408-6; http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470054085.html DVD-ROM Edition Set; March 2008; $195.00; 978-0-470-05356-0; http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470053569.html) offers the first brain atlas to augment traditional brain mapping methods with gene expression data to help delineate brain structures. The resulting atlas is a high-resolution vector-based digital mouse brain atlas designed specifically for web applications.

An essential companion to the Allen Brain Atlas online gene expression database–an open access resource generated by The Allen Institute for Brain Science–this atlas offers the unique opportunity to unite classical neuroanatomy with modern genomic science. It is thus a valuable resource for advancing the understanding of human brain disorders and diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, schizophrenia, autism, and addiction. “The Allen Reference Atlas” provides stunning, full-color plates showing finely annotated coronal and sagittal sections in the brain. Every brain structure in the atlas is assigned a distinct color based on its hierarchical position in the brain, offering a unique visual guide that emphasizes brain organization and greatly facilitates informatics processing. In addition, more than 80 genes showing unique expression patterns in the brain were carefully selected and are included as markers for substantially increasing the accuracy of brain structure delineations.

The print edition is offered with a free accompanying CD-ROM featuring black and white versions of artwork in low-resolution PDF files for ease of reference. A separately published DVD-ROM edition contains all of the content from the printed version and its accompanying CD-ROM, as well as higher-resolution color versions of each anatomical plate in the printed book and 264 supplementary coronal images. Both the print/CD-ROM edition and the DVD-ROM edition offer seamless coverage with the interactive online version and Allen Brain Atlas gene expression database, currently accessible at www.brain-map.org.

“The Allen Reference Atlas” is an essential resource for basic and clinical neuroscientists, molecular biologists, genomics and informatics researchers, drug development researchers, physiologists, and computer scientists.

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About the Authors:

Hongwei Dong, M.D., Ph.D., is Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology and the Laboratory of Neuro-Imaging at the UCLA School of Medicine. He was previously a Senior Analyst of Neuroanatomy at the Allen Institute.

The Allen Institute for Brain Science, www.alleninstitute.org, located in Seattle, Washington, is an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit medical research organization dedicated to performing innovative brain research and disseminating its discoveries to researchers around the world. In doing so, the Institute aims to advance a new understanding of diseases that result from disorders of the brain. Launched in 2003 with a seed contribution from philanthropist Paul G. Allen, the Allen Institute seeks federal and state funds, along with private contributions and foundation awards, as part of an ongoing public-private partnership to sustain the organization.

About Wiley

Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has been a valued source of information and understanding for 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Since 1901, Wiley and its acquired companies have published the works of more than 350 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry and Peace.

Our core businesses publish scientific, technical, medical and scholarly journals, encyclopedias, books, and online products and services; professional/trade books, subscription products, training materials, and online applications and websites; and educational materials for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Wiley's global headquarters are located in Hoboken, New Jersey, with operations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Canada, and Australia. The Company's Web site can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com. The Company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols JWa and JWb.

About Wiley-Blackwell

Wiley-Blackwell was formed in February 2007 as a result of the acquisition of Blackwell Publishing Ltd. by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and its merger with Wiley’s Scientific, Technical, and Medical business. Together, the companies have created a global publishing business with deep strength in every major academic and professional field. Wiley-Blackwell publishes approximately 1,400 scholarly peer-reviewed journals and an extensive collection of books with global appeal. For more information on Wiley-Blackwell, please visit www.blackwellpublishing.com or http://interscience.wiley.com.


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