Scientists at the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre at IIT Madras have created what they describe as the most detailed 3D atlas of the human brainstem at cellular resolution. The atlas, called ANCHOR, combines over 500 tissue sections from fetal, childhood and adult brains into a digital map that lets researchers zoom from whole-brain MRI scans down to individual neurons. By comparing healthy brainstem maps with diseased tissue, scientists expect to better understand Parkinson’s disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s, and sudden infant death syndrome. The atlas is freely available online as a reference tool for neuroscientists worldwide. The center now employs over 200 researchers and plans to image more than 100 whole human brains across different life stages and neurological conditions.