AI body-mapping system finds obesity damages facial nerves in mice and humans
The Story
Scientists at Helmholtz Munich, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, and partner institutions created an AI system called MouseMapper that maps entire mouse bodies at cellular-level detail. Using the system, they discovered that obesity damages facial sensory nerves and causes widespread inflammation in mice, and similar molecular patterns were found in human tissue. The findings were published in the journal Nature.
Key Facts
- MouseMapper is an AI framework using foundation-model-based deep learning algorithms to analyze whole-body imaging datasets.
- The system automatically identifies and segments 31 organs and tissue types and maps nerves and immune cells throughout the body.
- Researchers tagged nerves and immune cells with fluorescent markers, used tissue-clearing to make mice transparent, and captured 3D images with light-sheet microscopy.
- To study obesity, mice were fed a high-fat diet that produced obesity and metabolic problems similar to those in humans.
- MouseMapper revealed widespread alterations in immune-cell organization and nerve structures, particularly a major reduction in branches and nerve endings of the trigeminal nerve in obese mice.
- Behavioral tests showed obese mice were less responsive to sensory stimulation compared to lean mice.
- Spatial proteomics analysis of the trigeminal ganglion identified molecular changes linked to inflammation and nerve remodeling.
- The same molecular signatures were found in trigeminal tissue from people with obesity.
- The study was led by Prof. Ali Ertürk, Director of the Institute for Biological Intelligence (iBIO) at Helmholtz Munich and Professor at LMU.
- Ying Chen is co-first author of the study.
- Dr. Doris Kaltenecker, senior scientist at the Institute for Diabetes and Cancer (IDC) at Helmholtz Munich, is first author of the study.
- The whole-body datasets have been made publicly available online.
- The work was supported by multiple funding bodies including the European Research Council, the German Research Foundation, and others listed in the article.
Conflicting Reports
No conflicting reports identified in the source article.
Still Unclear
No open questions identified in the source article.
Misconceptions
No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.
Key Figures
- Prof. Ali Ertürk – Director of the Institute for Biological Intelligence (iBIO) at Helmholtz Munich and Professor at LMU
- Ying Chen – co-first author of the study
- Dr. Doris Kaltenecker – senior scientist at the Institute for Diabetes and Cancer (IDC) at Helmholtz Munich and first author of the study
Sources
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260522023308.htm — Primary Source
