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Quick guide to positron emission tomography (PET)
Positron emission tomography is used to diagnose many different diseases by forming an image of the inside of the body. But how does it work?
In
‘Inside the Brain’, spring 2013
Demyelinating diseases
Myelin is a fatty substance that surrounds many of the axons that project from our nerve cells. Demyelinating diseases, which include multiple sclerosis and leukodystrophy, occur when this layer is damaged or missing.
In
‘Inside the Brain’, spring 2013
Exploring forensic medical imaging
Medical imaging techniques are not just used for diagnosing disease and assessing treatment; they can also be used as evidence in court. Read about how these methods are used in a legal setting.
In
‘Inside the Brain’, spring 2013
Patient HM
Patient HM was an important case study for neurological research in the 20th century. Here Holly Story discovers how his life and his unique condition helped scientists to understand the brain.
In
‘Inside the Brain’, spring 2013
Phineas Gage
Phineas Gage (1823-1860) was the victim of a terrible accident in 1848. Holly Story gets to grips with the grisly tale and its place in the history of neuroscience.
In
‘Inside the Brain’, spring 2013
Phrenology
Around 200 years ago, phrenology - the study of the connection between the shape of the skull and the characteristics of the mind - emerged. Nancy Wilkinson investigates why it became so popular.
In
‘Inside the Brain’, spring 2013
Trepanning
The ancient practice of creating a hole in a human skull is still performed today. Nancy Wilkinson looks into why people believe that trepanning can help them and asks: who takes part in it?
In
‘Inside the Brain’, spring 2013
Alois Alzheimer and Auguste Deter
Have you ever thought about how certain diseases get their names? Nancy Wilkinson looks into the story of how Alzheimer's disease was discovered and named.
In
‘Inside the Brain’, spring 2013
Camillo Golgi
Camillo Golgi (1843-1926) discovered a new technique for staining tissue samples. Holly Story looks at Golgi's life and explains how his 'black reaction' played a vital part in the history of neuroscience.
In
‘Inside the Brain’, spring 2013
Sir Alan Hodgkin and Sir Andrew Huxley
Two neuroscientists, Alan Hodgkin (1914-1998) and Andrew Huxley (1917-2012), made some ground-breaking discoveries that would not have been possible without a few squid. Nancy Wilkinson finds out more.
In
‘Inside the Brain’, spring 2013
Rita Levi-Montalcini
The oldest living Nobel Prize winner, Rita Levi-Montalcini (b.1909) is an impressive scientist. Nancy Wilkinson finds out more about her life as a neuroscientist and as the first female winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine for neurology.
In
‘Inside the Brain’, spring 2013
Santiago Ramón y Cajal
Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852-1934) was a Spanish histologist who lived in the 19th century. Holly Story discovers why he is distinguished as the founder of modern neuroscience.
In
‘Inside the Brain’, spring 2013
Sir Charles Sherrington
The networked neurons that make up our brain and nervous system are connected by synapses. Nancy Wilkinson finds out more about Sir Charles Sherrington (1857-1952), the man who discovered the synapse.
In
‘Inside the Brain’, spring 2013
Thomas Willis
The brain has always been a hot scientific topic, and it continues to be studied and explored today. Nancy Wilkinson investigates Thomas Willis (1621-1675), a pioneer of research into the brain almost 400 years ago.
In
‘Inside the Brain’, spring 2013
fMRI in court: a pack of lies?
Tom Ziessen, Senior Public Engagement Advisor at the Wellcome Trust, recently made a short documentary about using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for lie detection. Nancy Wilkinson interviewed him to find out about his search for the truth.
In
‘Inside the Brain’, spring 2013
Wellcome Collection guide to ‘Brains’
a guide to some of the most notable objects, drawings and photographs featured in Wellcome Collection’s 'Brains' exhibition, as well as a taste of the video, game and interactive created especially for it.
In
‘Inside the Brain’, spring 2013
Jessica's story: Living with OCD
Jessica Collis, 18, was recently diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder. She and her mum Diane spoke to Nancy Wilkinson about life with this condition and their hopes for the future.
In
‘Inside the Brain’, spring 2013
Marius Kwint: The culture of the brain
Cultural historian Marius Kwint talks to Holly Story about his work guest curating an exhibition on brains and why people find the brain so fascinating.
In
‘Inside the Brain’, spring 2013
Conor Mallucci: Brain surgery for children
Conor Mallucci is a consultant paediatric neurosurgeon at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool, which has the only paediatric intraoperative MRI scanner in the UK. Holly Story found out more about his pioneering work.
In
‘Inside the Brain’, spring 2013