This year on the NIH Director’s Blog, we covered a wide range of NIH-supported research from across our institutes and centers. We explored exciting new findings that came from clinical trials and basic research, introduced us to promising new technologies, gave us insights into everything from our genetic makeups to our brain function to our immunity, and have important implications for future advances in disease prevention and treatment. While it would be difficult to sum up all we covered, here are some highlights of research findings reported in 2024.

Most Detailed 3D Reconstruction of Human Brain Tissue Ever Produced Yields Surprising Insights

Published May 30, 2024

Findings published in numerous journals this year helped us learn more about the human brain. In one fascinating example, published in Science , and supported by the NIH Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative, a research team reported the creation of the most detailed nanoscale resolution map ever produced of a cubic millimeter of brain tissue, about the size of half a grain of rice. To capture the immense number of cells, blood vessels, and neural connections in the sample in vivid detail, the researchers sliced the tissue into 5,000 thin layers and used electron microscopy to amass 1,400 terabytes of imaging data. They then used artificial intelligence (AI) models to create a 3D reconstruction of the tissue. The map they created revealed multiple brain structures that have never been seen before and has the potential to help us better understand both normal and disordered brain function.