1. A history of the brain
1. The trial of Galileo – trial for his knowledge - the sun is the center not the earth
o The mind – a challenge to Orthodoxy
o We use the “mind” in everyday life
2. Ancient Egyptians – Imhotep – doctor who studied people with brain damage - he looked at the
effects / consequences on behaviour –first “neurologist”
o They didn’t have any idea about the importance of the brain
o They didn’t preserve the brain – thought it was unimportant for the afterlife
3. Plato: 1. Cogito (logos-higher thinking) 2. Thymos (emotion) 3. Eros (love)
o Psyche – story of how she became a God
4. Aristotle – the soul is immaterial
o The brain is cooling the blood -> dominant
o The soul is in the body – located in the heart (centrally - first organ to develop) -> when we die, the
soul remains, body decays => not part of the body - independent
5. Hippocrates – materialism - father of medicine -> the brain is the centre of all
6. Galen – dissections of animals (nerves are controlling the body) – treated brain injuries in soldiers –
fluid cavities (ventricles) = humours (blood, phlegm, yellow bile-to be emotional, black bile-
anger)
7. Leonardo DaVinci – The Renaissance - painted brain images – not accurate but highlighted
different localization and functions -> influenced by Galen’s thinking -> focus on ventricles
o Localization of function -> different parts of the brain doing different things
- lateral ventricles – census commonness – census is common = common sense
- 3rd bench-cognition = real thinking
- 4th ventricle = memory
we know now that those ventricles don’t have any role in the kind of processing that’s
important for the mind – they have other functions
8. Michelangelo – “Birth of Adam” -> looks like a brain –> he knew the importance of the brain
9. Henry Moore – no relationship between the mind and the brain – the brain doesn’t have any
capacity for thoughts or motives
10. Descartes-dualism – mind & body unity – the pineal gland is the centre (she communicates with the
other muscles by sending fluid down – Galen influenced )
o Mental illness = a disconnection between mind and brain
o West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum – outside Leeds -> very important British neurologist
o Children and animals do not have a mind
o Pineal gland – doesn’t really affect higher cognitive thought
- Important however for sleep wayside cycles and Melanin
11. Thomas Willis – father of neuroscience – “Cerebrally Anatomy” - first clear images of the brain
o Described different parts of the brain, labelling each of them and attributing different functions
- corpus callosus – cognition;
- corpus striatum – common sense, the coming together of the sensors, common nets;
- central cortex – memory
12. France Gall – phrenology + localization of function – influences the skull - low
level of society
13. Bonaparte – he thought he was a genius – had brain scans – disappointed
14. Pierre Flourens – experiments with pigeons - Is it the way I make the damage or
the size that influences brain damage? – answer: the size because the brain works
as a whole; we don’t have localisations – distributed processing
15. Paul Broca – brain lesions reveal distinct behavioural deficits -
Phineas Gage – man who lost part of his brain -> no more equilibrium
between his intellectual and animal instincts
16. Golgi– Golgi stains? -> images of 20% of brain’s neurons – everything
is connected together
17. Cajal – the neuron doctrine = made up of individual numerous cells
1. The trial of Galileo – trial for his knowledge - the sun is the center not the earth
o The mind – a challenge to Orthodoxy
o We use the “mind” in everyday life
2. Ancient Egyptians – Imhotep – doctor who studied people with brain damage - he looked at the
effects / consequences on behaviour –first “neurologist”
o They didn’t have any idea about the importance of the brain
o They didn’t preserve the brain – thought it was unimportant for the afterlife
3. Plato: 1. Cogito (logos-higher thinking) 2. Thymos (emotion) 3. Eros (love)
o Psyche – story of how she became a God
4. Aristotle – the soul is immaterial
o The brain is cooling the blood -> dominant
o The soul is in the body – located in the heart (centrally - first organ to develop) -> when we die, the
soul remains, body decays => not part of the body - independent
5. Hippocrates – materialism - father of medicine -> the brain is the centre of all
6. Galen – dissections of animals (nerves are controlling the body) – treated brain injuries in soldiers –
fluid cavities (ventricles) = humours (blood, phlegm, yellow bile-to be emotional, black bile-
anger)
7. Leonardo DaVinci – The Renaissance - painted brain images – not accurate but highlighted
different localization and functions -> influenced by Galen’s thinking -> focus on ventricles
o Localization of function -> different parts of the brain doing different things
- lateral ventricles – census commonness – census is common = common sense
- 3rd bench-cognition = real thinking
- 4th ventricle = memory
we know now that those ventricles don’t have any role in the kind of processing that’s
important for the mind – they have other functions
8. Michelangelo – “Birth of Adam” -> looks like a brain –> he knew the importance of the brain
9. Henry Moore – no relationship between the mind and the brain – the brain doesn’t have any
capacity for thoughts or motives
10. Descartes-dualism – mind & body unity – the pineal gland is the centre (she communicates with the
other muscles by sending fluid down – Galen influenced )
o Mental illness = a disconnection between mind and brain
o West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum – outside Leeds -> very important British neurologist
o Children and animals do not have a mind
o Pineal gland – doesn’t really affect higher cognitive thought
- Important however for sleep wayside cycles and Melanin
11. Thomas Willis – father of neuroscience – “Cerebrally Anatomy” - first clear images of the brain
o Described different parts of the brain, labelling each of them and attributing different functions
- corpus callosus – cognition;
- corpus striatum – common sense, the coming together of the sensors, common nets;
- central cortex – memory
12. France Gall – phrenology + localization of function – influences the skull - low
level of society
13. Bonaparte – he thought he was a genius – had brain scans – disappointed
14. Pierre Flourens – experiments with pigeons - Is it the way I make the damage or
the size that influences brain damage? – answer: the size because the brain works
as a whole; we don’t have localisations – distributed processing
15. Paul Broca – brain lesions reveal distinct behavioural deficits -
Phineas Gage – man who lost part of his brain -> no more equilibrium
between his intellectual and animal instincts
16. Golgi– Golgi stains? -> images of 20% of brain’s neurons – everything
is connected together
17. Cajal – the neuron doctrine = made up of individual numerous cells
