Integrating and interpreting brain maps.

Abstract

Tangled molecular, cellular, and dynamic undercurrents shape brain organization. An emerging paradigm across neuroscience domains is to comprehensively measure the spatial patterning of multiple biological features, yielding precise brain maps. How can these features be conceptually integrated into a coherent understanding of brain structure and function? Here we review the methodology and practice of interpreting relationships between maps of biological features. We demonstrate how neuroscience can increasingly be approached as a data science, complete with detailed multiomic datasets, tools for representing diverse data types, and an extensive repertoire of analytics. We also outline methodological and conceptual challenges for disentangling relationships among brain maps. Ultimately, studying the brain from an integrative perspective changes the nature of scientific questions that can be asked, as well as the culture and conduct of scientific inquiry.