Highest Resolution Images Of The Brain Ever

By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - In the department of "I see how you thought that," researchers in Germany have created the highest resolution images of the whole brain ever.

The whole brain "atlas" was created with a resolution of 20 microns, and that's a microscopic focus small enough to see the whole brain on a cellular level. Researchers created very thin sections of brain tissue and took photographs at very high resolution as they went.

The data obtained can be used to help model how the brain works on a fundamental level. The scientists are now aiming to create an even more detailed brain atlas -- small enough to see how each cell in the brain is connected to every other cell.