Press Releases
On the stands soon: Discover Magazine featuring the lab
Video: "Scientia Nova" on Memory
Video: Made in Italy
[In Italian]
San Diego Union Tribune Article
Current Article: Project H.M. Phase II
The landmark dissection of the brain of patient H.M. into tissue sections marked the end of phase I of the project. In 2009 the brain was imaged using multiple specialized MRI sequences; it was photographed and prepared to be frozen by prolonged immersion in sucrose-based 'antifreeze'. The second phase of the project will involve the actual microscopic examination of the tissue. Researchers at The Brain Observatory are busy preparing the histological collection; the process begins with mounting the tissue slices that were collected during the brain cutting procedure onto oversized glass slides. Racks that can hold up to fifty slides will be immersed in different staining solutions; the first stain will use a dye, Thionine, that binds to the cell bodies of neurons in the tissue. This procedure, called Nissl staining in honor of the 19th Century German neurologist Franz Nissl, will reveal the microscopic borders of the lesions, allowing us to determine which other structures in the temporal lobes of patient H.M. were affected by the fateful 1953 surgery. Knowing exactly which brain areas were compromised during the surgery is crucial for understanding the pattern of memory impairment that patient H.M. lived with throughout his life.
Several hundred glass slides already have been purchased through our "Sponsor a Slide" campaign and we would like to thank all of our generous contributors, not only those whom have already contributed, but also those who will contribute in the future. Your many donations have enabled us to begin building this collection, which will be used not only for scientific collaboration, but also to provide the public with insights into one of the most important topics of neuroscience. The goal is to examine all of the 2401 slices of tissue that were collected, most of which are presently cryogenically archived. We continue to be very grateful for and motivated by the continuing support of the public during our work.
