Neuroscientists Reveal Fascinating facts of Einstein’s Brain
Ultimate Facts on Einstein Brain
Peek into Einstein’s head reveals fascinating facts
Last week, the journal Brain published the results of a
study that used a novel method to look through images of Einstein's brain. The
lead author of this paper, Weiwei Men of East China Normal University, had
developed a technique that lets scientists measure and colour-code the
thickness of the fibres that connect the two brain hemispheres. This had let
them study how well the two regions of the brain connect.
They found that Einstein had unusually strong connections
between the right and left halves of his brain. Their conclusion: these strong
connections may have something to do with his brilliance. To a casual observer,
it may seem a bit far-fetched.
Weiwei and colleagues had compared the brain of Einstein
with just two groups of about 64 people, of which one group was of the same age
as Einstein. Should we compare Einstein's brain with those of ordinary people
or with those of other intellectuals? When added to the body of neuroscience
knowledge, however, it fits perfectly.
Neuroscientists have indeed noticed a correlation between a
thick corpus callosum — as the connection is called — and intelligence. The
real question is this: was Einstein endowed with a thick corpus callosum at
birth or did he acquire it through sustained intellectual work? The answer will
tell us a lot about the human brain.
When Einstein died in 1955, a pathologist called Thomas
Harvey took out his brain, apparently without permission from his family.
Einstein had wished his remains to be cremated, as he did not like it to become
a place of worship. His wish was granted, as his ashes were disposed of in an
unknown location.
Whether he wanted someone to study his brain is still a moot
question. When Harvey died in 2007, his family gave the brain — which had been
chopped up into 240 parts — to the National Museum of Health and Medicine.
Now scientists use all the techniques available to them to
find out the differences between Einstein's brain and those of other people.
Even in the 1980s, some clues were found. Marion Diamond of the University of
California in Berkeley found an abundance of glial cells, which nourish the
neurons that do all our mental work. So Einstein's brain was well-nourished.
Sandra Witelson of McMaster University found that a part of
his brain, the parietal lobe, was 15% wider than average. This was because a
fissure that runs through the parietal lobe of all human brains was nearly
absent in Einstein.
Recently, Dean Falk of Florida State University found that
Einstein's prefrontal cortex had more convolutions than normal, thereby
increasing its surface area. This part is involved in abstract thinking, and a
larger surface area is always useful for these functions.
Scientists will soon compare Einstein's brain with those of
other intellectuals. If they turn out to be similar, we still have one
question: can rigorous mental work make our brain like that of Einstein? How
much of our brain structure is determined by our genes and how much of it is
shaped by how we use it? One man's brain may soon help us to answer this
question.
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