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  • The Brain Observatory used several web cameras to invite the general public to participate in an extraordinary scientific endeavor. Researchers voyaged through the brain of the most famous medical patient in the history of science, Patient H.M., acquiring anatomical images and collecting 2401 paper-thin tissue sections during a 53-hour procedure.

    The response from the public was astonishing. Over a three-day period more than 400,000 people tuned in to watch at least a portion of the experiment, enough to fill four NFL stadiums. 18,000 watched at one single point. 5,000 were with us when we reached the very tip of the occipital lobes, which marked the end of the cutting procedure.

    Our project is the first to accomplish the uninterrupted cryo-sectioning of one WHOLE human brain - collecting histological sections and blockface images. Just as importantly, this project is the first to make a direct connection with the public, with obvious impact, and we are extremely proud of that. This success fully rewards the herculean effort that the entire laboratory underwent to reach the ambitious scientific goals that we had set for the first phase project.

    The feedback that we received from the public and from our colleagues was overwhelmingly positive, but some viewers disapproved. We thought all comments should be available for public review (and amusement), the good, the bad, and the ugly. Specific (technical) questions about the procedure will be addressed on our web site as soon as possible. You should also view our stupendous Twitter and Facebook following.

  • We are receiving many letters of support and donations in all amounts. We aim at creating a permanent collection of glass slides and digital images for the brain of Patient H.M. Your continuing support is invaluable. So, we invite you to SPONSOR A SLIDE.

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Q & A

San Diego Union Tribune

“SCIENTIA NOVA”

“MADE IN ITALY”

BRODMANN REVISITED

About: The Brain Observatory

The Brain Observatory, is dedicated to the study of the architecture in the human brain. We have optimized multiple complementary imaging modalities, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and computer-controlled microscopy, to illustrate the detailed structural design of the brain and to understand how cognitive systems are perturbed by neurological disease.

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Links

  • Project H.M. Technical Blog
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  • UCSD School of Medicine

News

  • Dec
    22
    2009
    Building a Search Engine of the Brain, Slice by Slice--The New York Times
  • Dec
    10
    2009
    Dr. Annese is interviewed about Project H.M. on the radio. KPBS 'These Days'
  • Dec
    10
    2009
    RTR (Russian Television and Radio) comes to The Brain Observatory.
  • Dec
    3
    2009
    The sectioning of patient H.M.'s brain is featured on CBS Evening News.
  • Dec
    3
    2009
    Brain of world's best-known amnesic mapped --CNN
  • Dec
    2
    2009
    The New York Times reports on the sectioning procedure. Read the article here
  • Dec
    2
    2009
    The Brain Observatory is featured on the Daily Planet (Discovery Channel Canada)
  • Nov
    30
    2009
    San Diego Union Tribune features Project H.M. on the front page of current quest section. Read the full article here
  • Nov
    29
    2009
    The Hartford Courant reports: Researchers to Study Pieces of Unique Brain
  • AUG
    06
    2009
    The top Italian national science broadcast Superquark of Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI) features the research projects at The Brain Observatory.
  • APR
    15
    2009
    Susan Spencer ‘wraps her brain around our brains’ with CBS Sunday Morning
  • APR
    10
    2009
    nVidia offers innovative graphic hardware to visualize complex brain models
  • MAR
    15
    2009
    RAI 1 (Radiotelevisione Italiana) - Barbara Bernardini of DocLab and her crew are at The Brain Observatory shooting video for the program Superquark, due for release nationally on RAI 1 in August 2009.
  • MAR
    01
    2009
    NOVA PBS takes a close look at the brain of patient H.M.
  • FEB
    13
    2009
    Dr. Annese and Mr. Molaison fly JetBlue from Boston to San Diego
  • DEC
    02
    2008
    Patient H.M. passes away at a nursing home in Windsor Locks, Connecticut

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Website inspired by Dr. Jacopo Annese, executed by Peter Chon