Human brain specimens on display at the University of Texas Museum in the United States is very odd. The brain surface was very smooth, without the ridges and folds that known as the most complex organ characterize. The brain owner is a patient of a mental health facility that is now called North Texas State Hospital. The unknown patient who did not know the sex had died there in 1970.
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| This adult brain — from an unknown patient who died in 1970 at North Texas State Hospital — is missing the ridges and folds characteristic of the human brain. (Picture from: http://www.buzzfeed.com/) |
Photographer Adam Voorhes, who are very keen to trace the owner of the brain, as well as trying to dig up information. During the year Voorhes trying to track the detailed information about the "weird" brain from 100 other human brain specimens into a collection of the University of Texas. "But my efforts in vain," he said on Wednesday, September 18, 2013.
The jar that containing the preserved brain that is labeled with the reference number. However microfilm contains the patient's medical records have been lost. Label on the jar states that the "weird" brain owner suffer agyria, a brain disorder which caused by deficiency of gyri and sulci (the ridges and folds that are formed by the cerebral cortex which is generally wrinkled).
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| The smoothness of the brain is attributable to a rare condition called Lissencephaly. (Picture from: http://www.buzzfeed.com/) |
The disorder, also known as lissencephaly is fairly rare, but often leads to death before the patient was 10 years old. Lissencephaly can cause muscle spasms, cramps, and quickly reduce the surface area of the main parts of the brain, causing difficulties in learning.
David Dexter, who runs the Parkinson's UK Brain Bank at Imperial College London, said've never seen anything like this before. "We had encounter a strange individual with the sulci missing, but his condition did not like the owner of this brain," said Dexter, as quoted from Newscientist. Dexter was not surprised the owner of the "weird" brain can survive to adulthood because the brain is very adaptive, although it will trigger a damaging effect.
Earlier this year the University of Texas has done MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan to document the entire brain structures that exist in the collection. Scan results are expected to be able to uncover the mysteries of the brain itself, as well as the identity of the person who has the brains, although the details of his life have been lost forever. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | NEWSCIENTIST | MAHARDIKA SATRIA HADI | KORAN TEMPO 4352]
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