LightSuite: scalable atlas registration and cell detection across the central nervous system

The recent development of LightSuite, an open-source framework, offers a scalable solution for atlas registration and cell detection across the central nervous system (CNS). Researchers have long faced computational challenges that hinder precise, reproducible, and efficient mapping of brain-wide circuits. LightSuite addresses these issues by providing a robust platform for multimodal registration and cellular mapping in the CNS.

The framework combines damage-resilient 3D point-cloud initialization with user-steerable non-rigid registration techniques. This combination enables rapid, illumination-invariant cell detection through GPU-accelerated local background normalization. When applied to Fos-dependent activity labeling in mice, LightSuite successfully extracted reproducible, layer-resolved profiles of active cell density, soma-size distributions, and per-animal labeling-efficiency factors.

Moreover, LightSuite demonstrates its versatility by computationally untwisting and registering cleared spinal cords, thus mapping myeloarchitecture. It also reconstructs serial wide-field histology to map surface GluA1 distributions and resolves optic fiber tracks. Additionally, the framework aligns in vivo functional ultrasound hemodynamics into common atlas coordinates.

With its integrated and accessible platform, LightSuite provides a comprehensive solution for cohort-level structural, molecular, and functional CNS mapping, ultimately streamlining the process of deciphering brain-wide circuits.