For the first time, a new tool developed at Berkeley Lab allows researchers to interactively explore the hierarchical processes that happen in the brain when it is resting or performing tasks. Scientists also hope that the tool can shed some light on how neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s spread throughout the brain.

The software, called Brain Modulyzer, was created by researchers in the Computational Research Division and Kris Bouchard from the Biological Systems & Engineering Division in conjunction with computer scientists at University of California, Davis (UC Davis) and with input from neuroscientists at UC San Francisco (UCSF). The software combines multiple coordinated views of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data—like heat maps, node link diagrams and anatomical views—to provide context for brain connectivity data. For more, read the press release by Linda Vu at the Berkeley Lab News Center.