A precise atlas of the human subcortex
Clinical interventions and neuroimaging in the subcortex require anatomical definitions that exceed the resolution and anatomical detail of currently available deformable brain atlases. Here, we introduce a high-resolution human brain atlas comprising 95 manually segmented grey and white matter structures as well as 82 white matter tracts compiled from a multitude of resources including ex-vivo MRI, histology, fibre dissections, and neuroanatomy textbooks. The atlas is defined at an isotropic resolution of 100 μm and can be precisely deformed to individual subject brain anatomy. By providing precise definitions of both grey and white matter structures within and around the basal ganglia, thalamus, subthalamus, midbrain and cerebellum, the atlas provides a foundational resource for stereotactic surgery and subcortical brain imaging research, as well as for development of next-generation neuromodulation strategies.
Authors
- Arun Garimella (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5851-9804)
- Calvin Howard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5576-9608)
- Nanditha Rajamani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2511-9839)
- Eduardo Joaquim Lopes Alho (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8774-3485)
- Simón Oxenford (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2989-3861)
- Garance M. Meyer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3350-6070)
- Lukas L. Goede (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6026-185X)
- Malte Brammerloh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3593-1548)
- Helen Friedrich
- Cordula Matthies (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1729-9411)
- Vanessa Milanese
- Jens Volkmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9570-593X)
- Julianna Pijar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5777-9017)
- Ningfei Li
- Brian L. Edlow
- Shiro Horisawa
- E. ; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1304-4363 Kirilina
- Aysu Ilkem Sahin
- Clemens Neudorfer
- Andreas Horn
- Anja Bochtler
- Michael D Fox
- Maximilian Friedrich
Institutions
- University of Toronto (CA)
- University of Würzburg (DE)
- LMU Klinikum (DE)
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (DE)
- Massachusetts General Hospital (US)
- Circuit Therapeutics (United States) (US)
- Center for Neuro-Oncology (US)
- Centre for Movement Disorders (CA)
- Beneficência Portuguesa de São Paulo (BR)
- Universitätsklinikum Würzburg (DE)
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (US)
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (DE)
- Tokyo Women's Medical University (JP)
- Mayo Clinic in Florida (US)
- University Hospital Cologne (DE)
- University Hospital Ulm (DE)
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
- Published
- 2026-02-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.02.13.705755
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Neurological disorders and treatments
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 39.15