About the MBL
What is the Mouse Brain Library?
The MBL consists of high-resolution images and databases of brains from many genetically characterized strains of mice. There are numerous uses of the MBL, but our own mission is to systematically map and characterize genes that modulate architecture of the mammalian CNS (for a complete description of our projects refer to our P20 Human Brain Project award: Informatics Center for Mouse Neurogenetics).
For example, we want to understand much more about normal genetic variants (normal alleles, not necessarily mutations) that generate differences in cell populations and cell phenotypes in hippocampus, cerebellum, striatum, olfactory bulb, thalamus, and neocortex. For this reason, MBL databases also include detailed information on genomes of many strains of mice (see BXN release 1).
The collection now consists of images from approximately 800 brains and numerical data from just over 8,000 mice. You can search the MBL for cases by strain, age, sex, body or brain weight.
Resolution Levels
Images of the slide collection are available at a series of resolutions. The base resolution is 24.5 ± 0.5 µm per pixel in the XY plane with a 150 µm interval between sections (300 µm on each slide, 2 slides per case).
| Level | Resolution | Coverage | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | 24.5 ± 0.5 µm / pixel | All ~800 cases, 2 slides per case | Search the Library |
| Hi-Res | 4.5 µm / pixel | Over 100 cases — marked with blue "hi-res" button | Search the Library |
| Very High | 1 µm / pixel | Neocortex, hippocampus, dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus | MBL Pivot Collection |
| Ultra | < 0.2 µm / pixel | C57BL/6J — DIC optics via web-controlled microscope | iScope |
Viewing & Software Recommendations
The quality of images displayed on your monitor will depend on your system, monitor settings, and other software configurations. Please use an up-to-date browser (version 4.5 or higher), and assign your program 12 MB or more of memory. If images appear heavily pixelated or lack grayscale tone, then your browser is probably low on memory.
To achieve best quality you should save these JPEG format images and open them in NIH Image for Macintosh, Scion Image for PC or Macintosh, ImageJ (a free image analysis Java applet based on NIH Image), or Photoshop.
For details on processing, imaging, and calibration, please read our Procedures page. If you are interested in setting up your own online slide database with FileMaker, look at our MBL setup tutorial.
C57BL/6J — Case 232, Slide A
Example of a 1-in-10 series of Nissl-stained horizontal sections (30-µm-thick) prepared from a C57BL/6J male mouse (Case 232, slide A, 476-mg brain weight, 292-days-old). The highest or most dorsal section is in the upper left corner; the lowest or most ventral section is in the lower right quadrant.
Small dots over the tissue represent sample sites used for high-magnification cell counts and to estimate brain volume after processing. To minimize sample periodicity and to ensure a more representative set of sample sites, the 2-mm grid has been oriented at an angle of 5 degrees. Four such slides are prepared for every case, and images of two of these four slides are now available online for image and data analysis.
This particular brain contains 75 million neurons, 23 million glial cells, 7 million endothelial cells, and 3 to 4 million miscellaneous pial, ependymal, and choroid plexus cells (Williams, 2000).
rwilliams@uthsc.edu
grosen@caregroup.harvard.edu
Contributors since 1996
Rob and Glenn thank the following co-workers for helping assemble the MBL since its inception in 1996:
Use of Images
All individuals and organizations (for-profit and not-for-profit) may use up to 10 images from the Mouse Brain Library in single works, publications, or presentations. If you or your colleagues need original uncompressed images in color, we should be able to recapture and send you what you need in less than 48 hours.
We would greatly appreciate an email telling us what images you are using and how you are using them. This information will be of significant help to us in securing continued support for the MBL. Please contact us (rwilliams@uthsc.edu and grosen@caregroup.harvard.edu) for more extensive or commercial use of images.
How to Cite the MBL
Please cite either or both of these references:
The MBL and iScope projects are supported as part of the Informatics Center for Mouse Neurogenetics, a Human Brain Project / Neuroinformatics program funded jointly by the National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the National Science Foundation (P20-MH 62009).
MBL web service initiated December 8, 1996. Last updated October 25, 2011.