An international team of researchers, including Dr Michel Thiebaut de Schotten, our Deputy Director of Artificial Intelligence & Imaging, has produced a new map of neurotransmitter circuits in the white matter of the human brain.
Mapping disturbances in neurotransmitter circuits…
The neurochemical architecture of the brain is based on neurotransmitter circuits that are essential for proper cognitive and behavioral functioning.
In the event of a stroke, not only is the cerebral structure affected, but chemical transmission is also disrupted, resulting in motor and cognitive deficits. However, the precise mapping of these disturbances within neurotransmitter circuits remained a major challenge until now.
To meet this challenge, a team of researchers has designed an innovative atlas of white matter neurotransmitter circuits, using :
- advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques and
- the Functionnectome method, discussed in our article here.
This atlas :
- covers the axonal projections of the main neurotransmitter systems (dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine and noradrenaline) and
- enables us to assess how brain damage alters synaptic transmission.
… to envisage new prospects for targeted therapeutic approaches!
Through analysis of two large cohorts of stroke patients, the researchers identified eight distinct profiles of neurochemical disturbance.
Unexpectedly, post-stroke cognitive deficits did not always correlate with neurotransmitter alterations, suggesting an underlying complexity that would require further analysis.
However, these alterations were predictive of the efficacy of neurochemical treatments.
This research sheds new light on the neurochemical mechanisms of diaschisis, a phenomenon in which brain lesions affect distant regions due to the disruption of neuronal connections.
They also pave the way for personalized therapeutic approaches, specifically targeting the neurochemical imbalances observed in each patient.
Legend: Representation of the mapping of neurotransmitter circuits in the white matter of the human brain, highlighting the differences in distribution between dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine and norepinephrine. ©Pedro Nascimento Alves
Scientific publication
Alves, P.N., Nozais, V., Hansen, J.Y. et al. Neurotransmitters’ white matter mapping unveils the neurochemical fingerprints of stroke. Nat Commun 16, 2555 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57680-2
