This perspective discusses the current state and future directions of human neuroscience, emphasizing the convergence of large-scale neurophysiology and single-cell profiling techniques. The authors highlight new tools like Neuropixels probes for high-resolution, large-scale neural activity recording in awake patients and the advancements in single-cell omics for creating comprehensive brain-cell atlases. A key focus is the development of a workflow that integrates in vivo functional mapping of human brain tissue resected during surgery with subsequent ex vivo multi-modal cellular and functional profiling. Furthermore, the article addresses the potential clinical applications of these advances, such as informing precision medicine and gene therapies, and concludes by exploring the crucial societal and ethical implications concerning informed consent and data sharing in this burgeoning field.

References:

• Lee A T, Chang E F, Paredes M F, et al. Large-scale neurophysiology and single-cell profiling in human neuroscience[J]. Nature, 2024, 630(8017): 587-595.