Analysis of the distribution of the brain cells of the fruit fly by an automatic cell counting algorithm

The fruit fly is the smallest brain-having model animal. Its brain is said to consist only of about 250,000 neurons, whereas it shows the rudiments of consciousness in addition to its high abilities such as learning and memory. As the starting point of the exhaustive analysis of its brain-circuit information, we have developed a new algorithm of counting cells automatically from source 2D/3D figures. In our algorithm, counting cells is realized by embedding objects (typically, disks/balls), each of which has exclusive volume. Using this method, we have succeeded in counting thousands of cells accurately. This method provides us the information necessary for the analysis of brain circuits: the precise distribution of the whole brain cells. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.