Researchers map gene activity in 6.3 million prefrontal cortex cells

September 23, 2026 at 08:26 PM1 min

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Researchers have produced the largest map to date of the human prefrontal cortex, drawing on sequencing data from more than 6.3 million individual cells from nearly 1,500 people. The map covers eight brain disorders, including Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia, and was published today in a collection of eight studies. The work is the culmination of the PsychAD Consortium, an NIH-funded partnership that began in 2019.

Key Facts

The map is based on single-cell RNA sequencing of more than 6.3 million individual brain cells from nearly 1,500 donors.
Donors ranged from infants to a 108-year-old and included people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, and five other brain disorders.
The research was published in eight studies, including three papers in Nature.
The PsychAD Consortium, an NIH-funded partnership, was established in 2019 to connect genetic variation, ageing, and disease to changes in specific brain cells.

Prefrontal Cortex Focus

The consortium focused on the prefrontal cortex because of its crucial role in working memory and executive function, including planning, focusing, and multitasking. Disruptions to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex subregion are implicated in several psychiatric disorders and types of dementia. Panos Roussos, director of the Center for Disease Neurogenomics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, is a co-author on all nine papers.

Donor Cohort and Cell Types

The team studied post-mortem brain tissue from nearly 1,500 people with diverse ancestries. The cohort included neurotypical controls and individuals diagnosed with one of eight brain disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson's disease, vascular dementia, tauopathy, frontotemporal dementia, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder. Single-cell RNA sequencing recorded gene activity in neurons, immune cells, and vascular cells.