LECTURED: Thursday morning, we turned our attention the the history and importance of functional Magnetic Resonace Imaging. If you have some time to kill and want to learn a bunch, you can check out a 40-some minute presentation on the topic (link below). (Pro tip: You can turn the closed captions on and watch it at double speed if you're pressed for time.)
We also learned about Nobel Prize winner Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852-1934). A gifted artist born to a Professor of Applied Anatomy, Cajal was compelled to follow in those footsteps. He made his way through medical school and went on to teach, as well. In 1887, Cajal was appointed Professor of Histology and Pathological Anatomy at Barcelona. He published numerous articles and books, but his love of art never waned.
Fortunately for the world, Cajal married his medical knowledge with his artistic talents. He spent countless hours hunched over a microscope, and created phenomenal drawings of neuroanatomy (long before MRIs were a thing).
Check out his schema of visual map theory (1898).
O=Optic chiasm; C=Visual (and motor) cortex; M, S=Decussating pathways; R, G: Sensory nerves, motor ganglia.
Cajal seemed to especially enjoy drawing Purkinje cells. They're denoted as "A" in the drawing below, while "B" is granule cells. Both are from a pigeon's cerebellum.
REGULARS: In yesterday's post I mentioned spying a spotted towhee near our bird feeder a couple days back. I thought it was the first time I saw it, but now I'm guessing it has been there as long as our feeder has (a few months). I say this because I see it several times a day now that I know what I'm looking for.
He swoops down out of the shrubs (where potted towhees like to hang out), takes a couple bites and makes a hasty retreat. (Below is a crummy photo through a glass door at considerable distance.)
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