Neuroanatomy

Neuroanatomy is the science behind the structure of the nervous system. Neuroanatomy helps scientists learn how the nervous system functions, and allows them to paint a clear picture of the nervous system. In humans, it is divided into two sections, central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. Neuroanatomy continues to push the boundaries of science, as we continually learn more about nervous systems each day.

The earliest examples of neuroanatomy stem back to the ancient Egyptian document the Edwin Smith Papyrus. It is an ancient medical text named after a dealer who bought the text in 1862. It is the oldest known example of surgical documentation. It had information on the brain and its many different parts as well as the spinal cord and even brief moments about the nervous system, though they didn't know what it was at that time.

It wouldn't be until the Greek Alcmaeon would neuroanatomy advance further. Alcmaeon would be the first person to officially determine that the brain was the center of senses, not the heart, and that it ruled most of the body. Many other famous scientists would contribute to his ideas, including Galen, Herophilus, Rhazes, and Erasistratus. Herophilus and Erasistratus were two of the most influential Greek neuroscientists, and spent a great deal of their time studying and dissecting the human brain.

For several hundred years after the Greeks, dissecting was considered taboo in modern culture at the time. No further progress would be made until Pope Sixtus IV brought neuroanatomy back to the forefront of science. He would alter the church's policy on human dissection, which created a boom in neuroscience most notably at the time of the renaissance.

The term neurology was coined in the late 17th century by Thomas Willis. Tomas Willis was a physician and professor at Oxford University. He would coin the term in his published work Cerebri anatome, which a fundamental and base to neuroanatomy. Since this time, neuroanatomy has come an extremely long way.

When broken down at a tissue level, the nervous system is composed of three things, neurons, glial cells, and extracellular matrices. Neurons and cells come in a variety of types, and there are many cell types that are exclusive to the human body. Neurons are what help us sense our environment around us via electrical signals as well as chemicals. These are called neurotransmitters, which exist across synapses and produce our memories, thought, and movement.

Gilial cells provide support as well as protection for the neurons. They can also help with homeostasis (keeping the brain in working order), and have been known to push calcium waves in response to stimulation. The extracellular matrix also provides extensive help for all cells in the brain, and helps mostly on a molecular level.

There is much to neuroanatomy we still do not understand, though we are getting closer every day to understanding it. As we delve into other creature's neuroanatomy, maybe we can find the source of consciousness and find another animal aware as us.


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