thenewenlightenmentage:
“ This may be the strangest human brain known to science Remarkably, this is a photograph of what was once an actual adult human brain — but without the characteristic ridges and folds. But because the patient’s medical...

thenewenlightenmentage:

This may be the strangest human brain known to science

Remarkably, this is a photograph of what was once an actual adult human brain — but without the characteristic ridges and folds. But because the patient’s medical records were lost, we may never know what life was like for this person.

Here’s what we do know. The person to whom this extraordinary brain belonged to was a resident of what is now North Texas State Hospital, a mental health facility. He or she died there in 1970. As New Scientist reports, the jar containing the brain is labelled with a reference number, but the microfilm containing the patient’s medical records have been lost.

Scientists have seen this sort of thing before — but not to such an extreme degree. It’s a condition known as agyria, or sometimeslissencephaly, in which the brain lacks the gyri and sulci, the normal ridges and folds that make up the cerebral cortex.

Typically, this condition leads to death by the age of 10 and can cause muscle spasms, seizures, and learning difficulties (on account of reduced surface area). But what makes this sample even more bizarre is that it came from an adult, leading scientists to speculate that the patient likely suffered from severe psychological defects.

More at New Scientist.

(Source: io9.com)

  1. maro-cruoris reblogged this from thenewenlightenmentage
  2. pretty-little-spaceship reblogged this from hooblywoobly
  3. whosgemma reblogged this from hooblywoobly
  4. tay-knows-places reblogged this from straight-as-a-curly-fry
  5. hooblywoobly reblogged this from straightasawetnoodle
  6. garfieldthelesbian reblogged this from claws-mcgee
  7. jfldsjfkd reblogged this from wellthisisafail
  8. wellthisisafail reblogged this from straight-as-a-curly-fry
  9. sh-erry reblogged this from straight-as-a-curly-fry
  10. straightasawetnoodle reblogged this from straight-as-a-curly-fry
  11. laughter-and-all reblogged this from straight-as-a-curly-fry
  12. beyourselfandnothingelse reblogged this from straight-as-a-curly-fry
  13. claws-mcgee reblogged this from straight-as-a-curly-fry
  14. gayer-than-your-average-dyke reblogged this from straight-as-a-curly-fry
  15. straight-as-a-curly-fry reblogged this from the-wayward-avenger
  16. the-wayward-avenger reblogged this from highly-enlightened
  17. highly-enlightened reblogged this from thenewenlightenmentage and added:
    If this is real, how the hell do you lose the files on something like this??
  18. studyallofthemedicalscience reblogged this from fuckyeahneuroscience
  19. lokoja reblogged this from thenewenlightenmentage
  20. hansmyles reblogged this from thenewenlightenmentage
  21. thenewenlightenmentage posted this