It is in the human nature to be curious about how we feel pain, see the world, hear bird`s songs, remember, forget, reason. We want to understand the nature of love, anger, satisfaction, desire and madness. This is a short story about the evolution of the science on the human brain and about major brain discoveries. It gives a concise historic perspective of the understanding of the nervous system - from ancient Egypt to the birth of Renaissance, with the works of Vesalius and his esteemed contemporaries. The contributions of 17th century neuroanatomists such as Tomas Willis followed by the pre-modern neuroscience researchers Camillo Golgi and especially Santiago Ramon y Cajal are highlighted. The contribution of transgenic mouse models and the application of modern noninvasive imaging methods such as positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for ground braking functional studies on the human brain are briefly reviewed. Important 21st century projects such as the Human and Mouse Connectome projects and the White House Brain Initiative are also presented. Biomed Rev 2015; 26: 1-12.
Key words: psychikon pneuma, census communis, NGF, PET, fMRI, connectome
Verano O, Finger S. Ancient trepanation. In: Finger S, Boller K, Tyler L, editors, Handbook of Clinical Neurology, Vol. 95, History of Neurology, Elsevier, 2010.
Brandt-Rauf P, Brandt-Rauf S. History of occupational medicine: relevance of Imhotep and the Edwin Smith papyrus, Br J Med 1987; 44: 68-70.
York G, Steinberg D. Neurology in ancient Egypt. In: Finger F, Boller K, Tyler L, editors, Handbook of Clinical Neurology, Vol. 95, History of Neurology, Elsevier 2010.
Gross C. From Imhotep to Hubel and Wiesel. The story of visual cortex. In: Cerebral Cortex, vol. 12, Rockland et al., editors, Plenum Press, NY, 1997.
Karenberg A, The Greco-Roman world, In: Finger F, Boller K, Tyler L, editors, Handbook of Clinical Neurology, Vol. 95, History of Neurology, Elsevier 2010.
Crivellato E, Ribatti D. History of Neuroscience: Soul, mind, brain: Greek philosophy and the birth of neuroscience. Brain Res Bull 2007; 71: 327-336.
Adrian W. Herophilus, Erasistratus, and the birth of neuroscience. Lancet 1999; 354: 1719-1720.
Pasipoularides A. Galen, father of systematic medicine. An essay on the evolution of modern medicine and cardiology. Int J Cardiol 2014; 172: 47-58.
Russell G. After Galen: Late Antiquity and the Islamic world. In: Finger F, Boller K, Tyler L, editors, Handbook of Clinical Neurology, Vol. 95, History of Neurology, Elsevier 2010.
Schalick III, W. Neurological conditions in the European Middle Ages. In: Finger F, Boller K, Tyler L, editors, Handbook of Clinical Neurology, Vol. 95, History of Neurology, Elsevier 2010.
Kickhofel, E. Sine ars scientia nihil est: Leonardo da Vinci and beyond. Epilepsy Behav 2009; 14: 5-11.
Pevsner J. Leonardo da Vinci`s contributions to neuroscience. Trends Neurosci 2002; 25: 217-220.
Bentivoglio M, Mazzarello P. The anatomical foundations of clinical neurology. In: Finger F, Boller K, Tyler L, editors, Handbook of Clinical Neurology, Vol. 95, History of Neurology, Elsevier 2010.
Ione A. Visual images and neurological illustration, In: Finger F, Boller K, Tyler L, editors, Handbook of Clinical Neurology, Vol. 95, History of Neurology, Elsevier 2010.
Tubbs R, Salter E. Charles Estienne (Carolus Stephanus) (ca.1504-1564): Physician and Anatomist. Clin Anat 2006; 19: 4-7.
Roberts M. Human dissection - From Galen to the great revelations of Andreas Vesalius. http://brainblogger. com/2011/08/20/human-dissection-from-galen-to-thegreat- revelations-of-andreas-vesalius/.
Linden D. Five hundred years of brain images. Arch Neurol 2002; 59: 308-313.
Abbot A. The man who bared the brain. Nature 2015; 521: 160.
Isler H. The development of neurology and the neurological sciences in the 17th century, In: Finger F. Boller K, Tyler L. editors.Handbook of Clinical Neurology, Vol. 95 History of Neurology. Elsevier, 2010.
Mazzarello P, Garbarino C, Calligaro, A. How Camillo Golgi became ``the Golgi`. FEBS Lett 2009; 583: 3732-3737.
Lopez-Munoz F, Boya J, Cecilio, A. Neuron theory, the cornerstone of neuroscience, on the centenary of the Nobel Prize award to Santiago Ramon y Cajal. Brain Res Bull 2006; 70: 391-405.
Levi-Montalcini R. The nerve growth factor: 35 years later. Science 1987; 237: 1154-1162.
Chaldakov GN, Aloe L. Homage to Rita Levi-Montalcini, the Queen of modern neuroscience. Biomed Rev 2012; 23: 1-7.
Roxo M. Franceschini P, Zubaran C, Kleber F, Sander J. The limbic system conception and its historical evolution. The Scientific World Journal 2011; 11: 2428-2441,
Lazar R, Mohr J. Revisiting the Contributions of Paul Broca to the Study of Aphasia. Neuropsychol Rev 2011; 21:236-239.
Zilles K, Amunts K. Centenary of Brodmann`s map - conception and fate, Nature Reviews, Neuroscience 2010; 11: 139-145.
Brodmann K. Vergleichende Lokalisationslehre der Großhirnrinde in ihren Prinzipien dargestellt auf Grund des Zellenbaues, Barth, Leipzig, 1909.
Ward, Z. Letter to the editor: Reexamining Penfield`s homunculus. J History Neurosci 2014; 23: 198-203.
Raichle M. Positron emission tomography. Ann Rev Neurosci 1983; 6: 249-267.
Raichle M. The origins of functional brain imaging in humans, In: Finger F, Boller K, Tyler L. editors, Handbook of Clinical Neurology, Vol. 95, History of Neurology, Elsevier, 2010.
Lichtman J, Sanes J, Livet J. A technicolour approach to the connectome. Nat Rev Neurosci 2008; 9: 417-422.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F37kuXObIBU).
http://www.humanconnectome.org/.
http://braininitiative.nih.gov/.
Email this article (Login required) 
