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Violet Liu @vmliu.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

8/ Altogether, these findings provide a foundation for human investigations into the function of the A13, previously only possible in animal models. Huge thanks to the team who made this possible!🙏 @jclauneuro.bsky.social @neuroak.bsky.social @royhaast.bsky.social @jasonkai.com @alaat.bsky.social

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Violet Liu @vmliu.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

7/ Finally, we performed a gradient-based analysis, identifying a principal rostral-caudal axis of organization for the ZI, within which the A13 emerges as a local molecular specialization.

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Violet Liu @vmliu.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

6/ Could this identified human A13 region be identified in vivo? Yes! We found using 7T MRI data acquired @cfmm.bsky.social that the A13 had distinct T1 and T2* properties, separable from surrounding structures.

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Violet Liu @vmliu.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

5/ Thus, we sought confirmation. For an independent tissue specimen, we acquired 15.2T MRI then histology, confirming a TH+ cluster in the ZI. Further to this, we found the distribution was more spatially specific, and restricted to dorsal to the H2 field of Forel.

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Violet Liu @vmliu.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

4/ However, the spatial specificity and interpretability of this localization depends on the accuracy of the AHBA sample coordinates, which has been shown by @yohanyee.ca to be of variable quality and dependent on the methods used for sample alignment. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

biorxiv.org

Accurate spatial localization of Allen Human Brain Atlas gene expression data for human neuroimaging

The Allen Human Brain Atlas has been a tremendously impactful resource in neuroimaging. The usefulness of this resource in neuroimaging arises from spatial coordinates of dissected tissue samples bein...

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Violet Liu @vmliu.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

3/ We generated gene expression maps from the @alleninstitute.org Human Brain Atlas, identifying a TH-enriched ZI subregion, consistent with the expected (relative) location of the rodent A13.

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Violet Liu @vmliu.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

2/ The rodent A13, located within the zona incerta (ZI), drives sensorimotor integration, appetitive behaviors, & resilience to neurodegeneration. We leveraged our work mapping the human ZI to guide our search for an A13 homologue. doi.org/10.1002/hbm.... doi.org/10.7554/eLif...

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Violet Liu @vmliu.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

1/ A deep brain region known as the A13 plays a central role across a diverse range of behavioural functions (in rodents). To our knowledge, no human homologue has been identified to date. In this #preprint, we map the human A13!🎯 🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

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