Historical postmortem studies on catatonia: Close reading and analysis of Kahlbaum's cases and scientific texts between 1800 and 1900.

In the 19th century, postmortem brain examination played a central role in the search for the neurobiological origin of psychiatric and neurological disorders. During that time, psychiatrists, neurologists, and neuropathologists examined autopsied brains from catatonic patients and postulated that catatonia is an organic brain disease. In line with this development, human postmortem studies of the 19th century became increasingly important in the conception of catatonia and might be seen as precursors of modern neuroscience. In this report, we closely examined autopsy reports of eleven catatonia patients of Karl Ludwig Kahlbaum. Further, we performed a close reading and analysis of previously (systematically) identified historical German and English texts between 1800 and 1900 for autopsy reports of catatonia patients. Two main findings emerged: (i) Kahlbaum's most important finding in catatonia patients was the opacity of the arachnoid; (ii) historical human postmortem studies of catatonia patients postulated a number of neuroanatomical abnormalities such as cerebral enlargement or atrophy, anemia, inflammation, suppuration, serous effusion, or dropsy as well as alterations of brain blood vessels such as rupture, distension or ossification in the pathogenesis of catatonia. However, the exact localization has often been missing or inaccurate, probably due to the lack of standardized subdivision/nomenclature of the respective brain areas. Nevertheless, Kahlbaum's 11 autopsy reports and the identified neuropathological studies between 1800 and 1900 made important discoveries, which still have the potential to inform and bolster modern neuroscientific research in catatonia.

Introducing new group leaders: Leanne Li.

Leanne Li tells us about the research in her recently established group at the Francis Crick Institute in London, her search for a multidisciplinary institute, and how her own varied background came together to study the emerging field of cancer neuroscience. She shares advice for applying, her experience of remote hiring, and how diversity, both academically and culturally, stimulates creativity.

From Cerebellar Apoplexy in 1849 to Cerebellar Stroke in the 2020s: Robert Dunn's Contribution.

Stroke of the cerebellum represents about 10% of strokes of the brain. Both infarction and hemorrhage manifest with symptoms related to the location and extent of the lesion(s). Bilateral cerebellar infarcts constitute up to one third of all cerebellar infarctions. The leading cause of cerebellar infarcts is emboli of cardiac origin or from intra-arterial sources. Potential complications include brainstem compression and hydrocephalus. Malignant cerebellar edema is a life-threatening complication of ischemic posterior circulation stroke requiring urgent management. The advent of MRI has revolutionized the early diagnosis in vivo, showing small and large territorial infarcts, hemorrhages, and venous infarcts. Endovascular procedures are growingly applied and are impacting on the prognosis of stroke, although cerebellar stroke from occlusion of small cerebellar arteries is currently not accessible to thrombectomy. Surgical procedures of space-occupying stroke include external ventricular drainage, suboccipital craniotomy, or combined procedures. In 1849, Robert Dunn (1799-1877), an English surgeon, reported the details of a case of apoplexy of the cerebellum in a 52-year-old man, pointing to the importance of post-mortem studies of patients followed meticulously during lifetime. Dunn discussed inflammation surrounding hemorrhage as a source of cerebral degeneration, linking for the first time cerebellar stroke, neuroinflammation, and atherosclerosis.

David S. Miller: Scientist, Mentor, Friend-a tribute and thank you.

David S. Miller was Acting Scientific Director of the Division of Intramural Research at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, and Head of the Intracellular Regulation Group in the Laboratory of Toxicology and Pharmacology before he retired in 2016. David received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Maine in 1973. David was a Group Leader at the Michigan Cancer Foundation before joining the NIEHS in 1985. His research covered a wide range from renal excretory transport mechanisms to regulation of transporters at the blood-CSF and blood-brain barriers, from fish, amphibians and birds to mammals. David was an outstanding scientist with irresistible enthusiasm for science and an incredible ability to think outside the box while being an exceptional mentor and friend.

Early insight into the potential contribution of aluminum to neurodegeneration - A tribute to the research work of Robert D. Terry, Igor Klatzo, Henryk M. Wisniewski and Donald R.C. Mclachlan.

The first successful attempt to obtain purified aluminum metal was accomplished by the Danish physicist and chemist Hans Christian Orsted in 1824, however it was not until about ~140 years later that aluminum's capacity for neurological disruption and neurotoxicity was convincingly established. The earliest evidence of the possible involvement of this biosphere-rich metallotoxin in Alzheimer's disease (AD) originated in the early-to-mid-1960's from animal and human research investigations that arose almost simultaneously from independent laboratories in the United States and Canada. This short communication pays tribute to the pioneering research work on aluminum in susceptible species, in AD animal models and in AD patients by the early investigators Drs. Robert D. Terry, Igor Klatzo and Henryk M. Wisniewski with special acknowledgement to the late Dr. Donald RC McLachlan, and their contemporary physician-scientist colleagues and collaborators. Together these researchers established the groundwork and foundation towards our understanding of the potential contribution of aluminum to progressive, age-related and lethal neurodegenerative diseases of the human central nervous system.

Aproximación biográfica a Pedro Ortiz Cabanillas (1933-2011) y su teoría sociobiológica informacional en el contexto de la neurología científica peruana / Biographical approach to Pedro Ortiz Cabanillas (1933-2011) and his informational sociobiological theory in the context of Peruvian scientific neurology

El desarrollo histórico inicial de la neurología peruana tiene como figura a Oscar Trelles quien funda las bases de su progreso. Sin embargo, aún no se ha descrito los hitos ni las personalidades notables de la neurología peruana en la segunda mitad del siglo XX en adelante. El objetivo de este trabajo fue escribir la etapa científica de la neurología en el Perú durante la segunda mitad del siglo XX, proponiendo la obra de Pedro Ortiz Cabanillas como una propuesta disruptiva e innovadora en la neurología. Durante la segunda mitad del siglo XX, se diverjo las escuelas formadoras de neurología en la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos y la Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, sendas representada por Honorio Delgado y Oscar Trelles. Durante la segunda mitad del siglo XX, Pedro Ortiz da forma a la información como la materia que organiza a los sistemas vivos, en su Teoría Sociobiológica Informacional. En esta plantea que la información se a complejizado en cinco niveles organizativos de sistemas vivos. Conforme las consideraciones de desarrollo de la neurología en la segunda mitad del siglo XX en el Perú, resaltamos a Pedro Ortiz como un pionero que propone una redefinición del entendimiento de la información en los sistemas vivos.

The initial historical development of Peruvian neurology includes Oscar Trelles who is the founder of the groundwork and its progress. However, the milestones of noteworthy individuals in Peruvian neurology work, during the second half of the 20th century and beyond, have not yet been described. The objective of this work was to address the scientific stage of neurology in Peru during the second half of the 20th century, proposing the work of Pedro Ortiz Cabanillas as a disruptive and innovative proposal in neurology. During the second half of the 20th century, the neurology training schools were divided into the National University of San Marcos and the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, represented by Honorio Delgado and Oscar Trelles. During the second half of the twentieth century, Pedro Ortiz relates information as the material that organizes living systems, in his Informational Sociobiological Theory. In this work it is stated that information becomes more complex in five organizational levels of living systems. According to the development considerations of neurology in the second half of the 20th century in Peru, we highlight Pedro Ortiz as a pioneer who proposes a redefinition of the understanding of information in living systems.

Luigi Luciani (1840-1919) - the Italian Claude Bernard with German shaping, and his studies on the cerebellum with projections to nowadays / Luigi Luciani (1840-1919) - o italiano Claude Bernard com formação alemã, e seus estudos sobre o cerebelo com projeções na atualidade

Luigi Luciani (1840-1919) was an illustrious Italian citizen and physiologist whose research scope covered mainly cardiovascular subjects, the nervous system, and fasting. He published in 1891 a modern landmark of the study of cerebellar physiology - "Il cervelletto: nuovistudi di normal and pathología physiology" / "The cerebellum: new studies on normal and pathological physiology." In his experiment, a dog survived after cerebellectomy, reporting a triad of symptoms (asthenia, atonia, and astasia). In this way, the eminent neurophysiologist improved the operative technique and sterile processes to redirect the issue of cerebellar symptoms. Luciani died at age 78, a hundred years ago, and left mainly the understanding of the role of the cerebellum in regulating postural tone and muscle strength, which represented a step forward in understanding cerebellar motor physiology. In recent decades, cognitive / affective function has been added to the cerebellar motor, and there has also been a better understanding of cerebellar circuits.

Luigi Luciani (1840-1919) foi um ilustre cidadão e fisiologista italiano, cujo escopo de pesquisa abrangia principalmente assuntos cardiovasculares, sistema nervoso e jejum. Ele publicou em 1891 um marco moderno do estudo da fisiologia do cerebelo - "Il cervelletto: nuovistudi di fisiologia normale and patologica" / "O cerebelo: novos estudos sobre fisiologia normal e patológica". Em seu experimento, um cão sobreviveu após a cerebelectomia, com o relatório de uma tríade de sintomas (astenia, atonia e astasia). Dessa maneira, o eminente neurofisiologista aprimorou a técnica operatória e os processos estéreis para redirecionar a questão dos sintomas cerebelares. Luciani morreu aos 78 anos, cem anos atrás, e deixou principalmente a compreensão do papel do cerebelo na regulação do tônus postural e da força muscular, o que representou um passo adiante na compreensão da fisiologia motora cerebelar. Nas últimas décadas, a função cognitivo / afetiva foi adicionada à motora cerebelar e, também, houve uma melhor compreensão dos circuitos do cerebelo.

Neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus: history, regulation, and prospective roles.

BACKGROUND: The hippocampus is one of the sites in the mammalian brain that is capable of continuously generating controversy. Adult neurogenesis is a remarkable process, and yet an intensely debatable topic in contemporary neuroscience due to its distinctiveness and conceivable impact on neural activity. The belief that neurogenesis continues through adulthood has provoked remarkable efforts to describe how newborn neurons differentiate and incorporate into the adult brain. It has also encouraged studies that investigate the consequences of inadequate neurogenesis in neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases and explore the potential role of neural progenitor cells in brain repair. The adult nervous system is not static; it is subjected to morphological and physiological alterations at various levels. This plastic mechanism guarantees that the behavioral regulation of the adult nervous system is adaptable in response to varying environmental stimuli. Three regions of the adult brain, the olfactory bulb, the hypothalamus, and the hippocampal dentate gyrus, contain new-born neurons that exhibit an essential role in the natural functional circuitry of the adult brain. Purpose/Aim: This article explores current advancements in adult hippocampal neurogenesis by presenting its history and evolution and studying its association with neural plasticity. The article also discusses the prospective roles of adult hippocampal neurogenesis and describes the intracellular, extracellular, pathological, and environmental factors involved in its regulation. Abbreviations AHN Adult hippocampal neurogenesis AKT Protein kinase B BMP Bone Morphogenic Protein BrdU Bromodeoxyuridine CNS Central nervous system DG Dentate gyrus DISC1 Disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 FGF-2 Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 GABA Gamma-aminobutyric acid Mbd1 Methyl-CpG-binding domain protein 1 Mecp2 Methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 mTOR Mammalian target of rapamycin NSCs Neural stem cells OB Olfactory bulb; P21: cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1 RBPj Recombination Signal Binding protein for Immunoglobulin Kappa J Region RMS Rostral migratory Stream SGZ Subgranular zone Shh Sonic hedgehog SOX2 SRY (sex determining region Y)-box 2 SVZ Subventricular zone Wnt3 Wingless-type mouse mammary tumor virus.

Remembranza de Santiago Ramón y Cajal, más allá del Nobel / Recollection of Santiago Ramón y Cajal beyond the Nobel

Nacido en Petilla de Aragón, España, Santiago Ramón y Cajal posiblemente sea, por el volumen significativo y trascendencia de su obra, el más relevante neurocientífico de la historia. En conmemoración a la celebración en 2016 de la tercera jornada científica de la cátedra Santiago Ramón y Cajal, es objetivo de este trabajo rendir tributo al histólogo, patólogo, y neurocientífico. Se recogen de manera historiográfica momentos trascendentales de la vida y obra del sabio español, relacionados con su intensa labor investigativa, que lo llevaron al planteamiento de la teoría neuronal, la obtención del premio Nobel, la trascendencia de sus descubrimientos, así como los principales momentos de su estancia en Cuba (AU).

Born in Petilla de Aragón, Spain, Santiago Ramón y Cajal is probably, the most relevant neuroscientist of the history, due to the significant volume and transcendence of his work. Commemorating the celebration of the third scientific event of the Cathedra Santiago Ramón y Cajal in 2016, the aim of this work is rendering homage to the outstanding histologist, pathologist and neuroscientist. In a historiographical way, some significant moments of the Spanish scholar's life and work are mentioned here, related to its intense research work that lead him to postulate the neuronal theory and obtaining the Nobel prize; the transcendence of his discoveries and the main moments of his staying in Cuba are also brought about (AU).

Can memory exist outside of brain and be transferred? Historical review, issues & ways forward.

Learning and memory are among the executive functions attributed to intelligent forms of life. Unfortunately, there is a lack of clear understanding regarding the underlying mechanisms governing these functions. Most of the modern day scientists attribute these functions solely to brain. However, in the latter half of last century, a number of reports suggested existence of extra-cranial memory and potential of its transfer between animals. Some have linked this phenomenon to RNA while others believed that peptides were responsible. The terms like "educated RNA" and "scotophobin" were coined. This atypical work involving flatworms, yeast RNA and scotophobin was received with deep skepticism and ultimately disregarded. However, the recent reproduction of some of this earlier work by scientists at Tufts University has reignited the debate on the mechanisms of learning and memory. Keeping this in view, we believe it is high time to summarize this historical work and discuss the possibilities to delineate these atypical claims. The objective is to incite the present day researchers to explore this opportunity under the perspective of newer advancements in science.

The "Century of Biology" and the Evolving Role of Medicinal Chemists in Neuroscience.

Society expects that the wave of contemporary new discoveries in biological sciences will soon lead to novel treatments for human diseases, including many devastating brain disorders. Historically, medicinal chemists have contributed to drug discovery teams in ways that synergize with those from their partner sciences, and help transform new knowledge into the ultimate tangible asset: a new drug. The optimal balance of resources and the right strategy to minimize the risk of late clinical failure may differ for different therapeutic indications. Recent progress in the oncology and neuroscience therapeutic areas is compared and contrasted, in particular looking at the biological target space and functional attributes of recently FDA-approved drugs and those in the late clinical pipeline. Medicinal chemists are poised to have major influence in neuroscience drug research, and examples of areas of potential impact are presented, together with a discussion of the soft skills they bring to their project teams and why they have been so impactful.

Culture: by the brain and in the brain? / Cultura: pelo cérebro ou no cérebro?

Abstract Since the 1990s, several disciplines have emerged at the interface between neuroscience and the social and human sciences. For the most part, they aim at capturing the commonalities that underlay the heterogeneity of human behaviors and experiences. Neuroanthropology and cultural neuroscience, or the “neurodisciplines of culture,” appear different, since their goal is to understand specificity rather than commonality and to address how cultural differences are inscribed in the brain. After offering an overview of these disciplines, and of their relation to endeavors such as cultural psychology and social neuroscience, this article discusses some of the most representative studies in the area in order to explore in which ways they are relevant for an understanding of culture.

Resumo Desde a década de 1990, várias disciplinas surgiram na interface entre neurociência e as ciências sociais e humanas. A maior parte delas procura capturar as semelhanças subjacentes à heterogeneidade de comportamentos e experiências humanas. Neuroantropologia e neurociência cultural, ou as “neurodisciplinas da cultura”, parecem à primeira vista diferentes, uma vez que seus objetivos são compreender as especificidades em vez das semelhanças e abordar como as diferenças culturais são inscritas no cérebro. Depois de oferecer uma visão geral dessas disciplinas e de sua relação com áreas como a psicologia cultural e a neurociência social, este artigo discute alguns dos estudos mais representativos na área, a fim de explorar de que forma são relevantes para a compreensão da cultura.

On the centenary of the birth of Francis H. C. Crick – from physics to genetics and neuroscience / O centenário de nascimento de Francis H.C. Crick – da física para a genética e a neurociência

ABSTRACT The year 2016 marks the centenary of the birth of Francis Crick (1916–2004), who made outstanding contributions to genetics and neuroscience. In 1953, in a collaborative study, Francis Crick and James Watson discovered the DNA double helix, and in 1962 they and Maurice Wilkins were awarded the Noble Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Crick subsequently became very interested in neuroscience, particularly consciousness and its relationship to the claustrum, a small gray matter structure between the insula and putamen.

RESUMO O ano de 2016 é o centenário de nascimento de Francis Crick (1916–2004), físico, biólogo e neurocientista, cujas contribuições para a genética e a neurociência foram magníficas. Crick, em um estudo colaborativo com Watson, descobriu a estrutura molecular do DNA (dupla hélice) em 1953, e em 1962 ambos receberam o prêmio Nobel de Fisiologia ou Medicina, junto com Wilkins. Após Crick tornou-se muito interessado na área de neurociência, particularmente no estudo da consciência, e a sua relação com o claustrum, uma pequena estrutura de substância cinzenta localizada entre a ínsula e o putame.

Tribute to: Self-administered nicotine activates the mesolimbic dopamine system through the ventral tegmental area [William Corrigall, Kathleen Coen and Laurel Adamson, Brain Res. 653 (1994) 278-284].

In this paper, Dr. Corrigall and collaborators described elegant experiments designed to elucidate the neurobiology of nicotine reinforcement. The nicotinic receptor antagonist dihydro-ß-erythroidine (DHßE) was infused in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) or nucleus accumbens (NAC) of rats trained to self-administer nicotine intravenously. Additionally, DHßE was infused in the VTA of rats trained to self-administer food or cocaine, and nicotine self-administration was assessed in rats with lesions to the peduculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPT). A number of key themes emerged from this fundamental study that remain relevant today. The primary finding was that infusions of DHßE in the VTA, but not in the NAC, lowered nicotine self-administration, suggesting that nicotinic receptors in VTA are involved in the reinforcing action of nicotine. This conclusion has been confirmed by subsequent findings, and the nature of the nicotinic receptors has also been elucidated. The authors also reported that DHßE in the VTA had no effect on food or cocaine self-administration, and that lesions to the PPT did not alter nicotine self-administration. Since this initial investigation, the question of whether nicotinic receptors in the VTA are necessary for the reinforcing action of other stimuli, and by which mechanisms, has been extensively explored. Similarly, many groups have further investigated the role of mesopontine cholinergic nuclei in reinforcement. This paper not only contributed in important ways to our understanding of the neurochemical basis of nicotine reinforcement, but was also a key catalyst that gave rise to several research themes central to the neuropharmacology of substance abuse. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI:50th Anniversary Issue.

Die Neurowissenschaften in Straßburg zwischen 1872 und 1945.

The emergence of early brain research activities at the University of Strasburg constitutes a prominent interdisciplinary research field, which combines investigative approaches from anatomy, pathology, radiology, medicine, and surgery. This process happened during three consecutive political breaks: the Wilhelminian Empire's restitution of the German-speaking university (1872­1918), the liberal Interwar Period (1918­1939), as well as the Nazi occupation and creation of the German Reichs-University (1940/41­1944). Between 1872 and 1918, after the end of the Franco-German War and the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine into the German Empire, the newly inaugurated Kaiser-Wilhelms-University not only constituted the first foundation of a German university after the creation of the Rhenish Friedrich-Wilhelms University of Bonn in 1818. It became also established as a premier research university that showcased the excellence of German science and post-secondary education in Strasburg. During the first two decades of its existence, leading academics were hired as professors for the Medical Faculty, such as anatomist Wilhelm von Waldeyer (development of the neuron concept), pathologist Friedrich Daniel von Recklinghausen (exploration of neurofibromatosis), psychiatrist Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing (pioneering studies in sexual psychopathology), who pushed the research envelope in contemporary neuroscience. The international standing of the university came to decline at the end of the nineteenth century, however, since several of its founding faculty were hired away to major research universities in Prussia; and lessened academic productivity of the remaining faculty subsequently became the rule before the outbreak of the First World War. During the interwar period, between 1918 and 1939, the Medical Faculty in Strasburg emerged as a liberal institution under the leadership of French-Alsatian dean Georges Gross, who came to advertise faculty positions to both French and German professors in the same way. Following to the second annexation of Alsace-Lorraine with the occupation of France in 1940, the new Nazi government ­ represented by Gauleiter Rudolf Wagner ­ came to marginalize the French influence and aligned many research activities with NS ideologies and horrific anthropological, euthanasia, and military programs. Nikolaus Jensch (∼ anthropological determinants of homosexuality), August Hirt (∼ racial foundations of scull and brain development), or Hans Lullies (∼ sympathetic lesions following to freezing traumas) became prime movers at the Strasburg Medical Faculty during "the Third Reich". In November 1944, the Reichs-University ended abruptly when allied French and American forces advanced into Alsace-Lorraine and brought the historical Nazi period to its final end.

Neurocinematography in Pre-World War II Netherlands: The Magnus-Rademaker Collection.

Historical films made by neuroscientists have shown up in several countries during past years. Although originally supposed to have been lost, we recently found a collection of films produced between 1909 and 1940 by Rudolf Magnus (1873-1927), professor of pharmacology (Utrecht) and his student Gysbertus Rademaker (1887-1957), professor of physiology (1928, succeeding Willem Einthoven) and neurology (1945, both in Leiden). Both collections deal with the physiology of body posture by the equilibrium of reflex musculature contractions for which experimental studies were done with animals (labyrinthectomies, cerebellectomies, and brainstem sections) and observations on patients. The films demonstrate the results of these studies. Moreover, there are films with babies showing tonic neck reflexes and moving images capturing adults with cerebellar symptoms following cerebellectomies for tumors and several other conditions. Magnus' studies resulted in his well-known Körperstellung (1924, "Body Posture") and Rademaker's research in his Das Stehen (1931, "Standing"). The films probably had an educative and scientific purpose. Magnus demonstrated his films at congresses, including the Eighth International Congress of Physiologists (Vienna, 1910) and Rademaker screened his moving images at meetings of the Amsterdam Neurologists Society (at several occasions as reflected in the Winkler-Monakow correspondence and the Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde). Next to these purposes, the films were used to analyze movement and a series of images from the films were published in articles and books. The films are important historical sources that provide a portrait of the pre-World War II era in neuroscience, partly answering questions on how physicians dealt with patients and researchers with their laboratory animals. Moreover, the films confirm that cinematography was an important scientific tool in neuroscience research.