The amazing brain

Abstract

It is in the human nature to be curious about how we feel pain, see the world, hear bird's songs, remember, forget, reason. We want to understand the nature of love, anger, satisfaction, desire and madness. This is a short story about the evolution of the science on the human brain and about major brain discoveries. It gives a concise historic perspective of the understanding of the nervous system - from ancient Egypt to the birth of Renaissance, with the works of Vesalius and his esteemed contemporaries. The contributions of 17th century neuroanatomists such as Tomas Willis followed by the pre-modern neuroscience researchers Camillo Golgi and especially Santiago Ramon y Cajal are highlighted. The contribution of transgenic mouse models and the application of modern noninvasive imaging methods such as positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for ground braking functional studies on the human brain are briefly reviewed. Important 21st century projects such as the Human and Mouse Connectome projects and the White House Brain Initiative are also presented.