A hidden region has been discovered in the human brain by popular cartographer of the brain, Scientia Professor George Paxinos, a conjoined professor at UNSW. The region of the brain is located near the junction of the brain and spinal cord, called the Endorestiform Nucleus, as named by Professor Paxinos.
Professor Paxinos is currently designated at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA). Paxinos suspected the existence of this region of the brain 30 years ago, however, has now been able to see it because of better imaging techniques and staining.
“The region is intriguing because it seems to be absent in the rhesus monkey and other animals that we have studied,” said Professor Paxinos, adding, “there have to be some things that are unique about the human brain besides its larger size, and the Endorestiform Nucleus may be one of them,” said Professor Paxinos, commenting on the discovery.
The Endorestiform Nucleus is located within the inferior cerebellar peduncle. The area integrates sensory and motor information to refine fine motor movements, posture and balance. “I can only guess as to its function, but given the part of the brain where it has been found, it might be involved in fine motor control,” says Professor Paxinos.
The discovery can help researchers explore cues for diseases, including motor neuron disease and Parkinson’s disease.
Professor Paxinos maps are currently being used by neuroscientists researching neurological and psychiatric disorders, to guide their work. The brain atlases are considered as the most accurate for identifying brain structures, moreover, are also used in neurosurgery. What’s more, since the past 100 years, a detailed understanding of the connectivity and architecture of the nervous system is central to most major discoveries in neuroscience.
“Professor Paxinos’s atlases showing detailed morphology and connections of the human brain and spinal cord, provide a critical framework for researchers to test hypotheses from synaptic function to treatments for diseases of the brain,” said Professor Peter Schofield, CEO at NeuRA.
Professor Paxinos has written 52 books and is the author of the most cited publication in neuroscience. The discovery of the Endorestiform Nucleus is detailed in Professor Paxinos’s latest book titled Human Brainstem: Cytoarchitecture, Chemoarchitecture, Myeloarchitecture.
