Professor George Paxinos, of the Neuroscience Research of Australia, has uncovered what he calls the “Endorestiform Nucleus,” an area close to the joint of the brain and the spine.
More specifically, this newly-found part of the human brain is found inside the inferior cerebellar peduncle, which uses information gathered from our senses to refine our posture, balance and fine movements.
Professor Paxinos began researching this area of the brain 30 years ago, but wasn’t able to isolate this region, however advancements in technology and better equipment allowed him to finally reach the breakthrough he had been looking for.
He said it was the same as finding “a new star”, pointing out that this specific region cannot be found in other creatures, making it unique to the human brain:
“There is nothing more pleasant for a neuroscientist than identifying a hitherto unknown area of the human brain. In this case there is also the intrigue that this area is absent in monkeys and other animals.
There have to be some things that are unique to the human brain besides its larger size, and this could be one of them.”
It is worth noting that the discovery of this new region will significantly help researchers in their work in finding cures for ailments and diseases of the brain such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s syndrome, dementia and motor neuron disease, however according to Professor Paxinos, it is still yet to be determined how the Endorestiform Nucleus operates.
This new area was first discovered when Professor Paxinos combined chemical stains with the latest imaging techniques on one of his maps of the human brain.
These maps, or atlases, created by Professor Paxinos are very popular within the field of neuroscience, with many scientists using them in their own research.CEO of Neuroscience Research of Australia (NeuRA), Professor Peter Schofield, praised the work of the Greek researcher: “Professor Paxinos’ atlases showing detailed morphology and connections of the human brain and spinal cord, provide a critical framework for researchers to test hypotheses from synaptic functions to treatments for diseases of the brain.”
Thanks to advancements in technology and equipment, researchers have made significant progress on mapping the brain and the connections between the nerves within the last 100 years.
The details of Professor Paxinos’ discovery of the Endorestiform Nucleus can be found in his latest book, Human Brainstem: Cytoarchitecture, Chemoarchitecture, Myeloarchitecture, printed by Elsevier publishing.
Source: neoskosmos.com