Neuroscientists have produced the largest wiring diagram and functional map of a mammalian brain to date using tissue from a part of a mouse's cerebral cortex involved in vision, an achievement that could offer insight into how the human brain works.

From a tiny sample of tissue no larger than a grain of sand, scientists have come within reach of a goal once thought unattainable: building a complete functional wiring diagram of a portion of the brain.

Scientists say the map of a speck of a mouse's brain could be as transformative as the Human Genome Project. Here's what to know.

A map of part of a mouse brain, which is expected to be generalisable to people, could help scientists understand behaviours, consciousness and even what it means to be human

Scientists have constructed the most extensive functional brain map to date, charting the connections of 84,000 neurons as they transmit signals, thanks to a mouse that was shown clips from "The Matrix".