Who
Evidence of trepanation (drilling
or scraping a hole in the skull to
cure disease or relieve
pressure); some knowledge of
brain trauma symptoms
Ancient Egyptians
Decision making, motor regions, language
Frontal
"Clean-up crew": phagocytosis of debris after
injury or inflammation. Derived from the
immune system.
Microglia
Studied patient "Tan," who
understood language but could
not speak or write
Broca
Challenged the belief that
disease was caused by the gods;
proposed the four humors
(blood, phlegm, yellow bile,
black bile)
Hippocrates
Sensory processing, spatial reasoning
Parietal
Line the ventricles; make and circulate
cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), with cilia that beat
to move it.
Ependymal cells
Survived an iron rod passing
through his frontal lobe
Gage
Did not think the brain was
critically involved in emotion,
sensation, or movement
Aristotle
Memory, language, emotion
Temporal
Connect neurons to neurons and blood
vessels to neurons; envelop synapses; guide
developing neurons; release factors for
survival and connection stability; supply
energy; prevent spillover of signals.
Astrocytes
Electrically stimulated exposed
cortex in awake epilepsy
patients
Penfield
Dissected animals and assigned
roles to brain regions; observed
patients lost mental faculties
after brain damage
Galen
Vision, visual processing
Occipital
Form myelin; one cell wraps about 50 axons.
Oligodendrocytes
Developed the Golgi ("black")
stain, the first to make brain
cells visible
Golgi
Required microscopes (1665),
cell theory (1830s), and modern
chemistry (1800s). Santiago
Ramón y Cajal and Camillo Golgi
shared the 1906 Nobel Prize.
Modern Era
Voluntary movement, walking, balance, posture,
motor learning
Cerebellum
Form myelin around a single axon; after
injury, digest damaged axons and guide
regrowth.
Schwann cells
Drew neurons based on Golgi's
stains
Cajal