The exceptional brain of Albert Einstein

Cerebral cortex astroglia and the brain of a genius: A propos of A. Einstein's

“…Such is the case with the longstanding pursuit of biological markers of human intellectual abilities, occasionally enhanced by the opportunity to analyze the brain configuration of men with outstanding talents (Amunts et al, 2004;Donaldson and Canavan, 1928). In this regard, analyses of V. Lenin's (Bentivoglio, 1998;Kreutzberg et al, 1992) and A. Einstein's (AE) (Anderson and Harvey, 1996;Diamond et al, 1985;Witelson et al, 1999) brains are two notable examples. For instance, in the first case, the size of layer III pyramidal neurons in various cortical areas was considered by O. Vogt as evidence of Lenin being a "brain athlete and association giant" (cf., Kreutzberg et al, 1992).…”

“…Besides this "enthusiastic" statement, the pathological condition of Lenin's brain following his cerebrovascular episodes should raise concern regarding any possible functional interpretation of his earlier mental abilities. In the second case, glial:neuronal ratios (Diamond et al, 1985), reduced thickness of the frontal cortex (Anderson and Harvey, 1996), and an unusual variation of specific gyral and sulcal patterns (Witelson et al, 1999) in AE's brain have been argued to represent biological traits related to his special cognitive capabilities. In general, hypotheses suggesting an association between structure and function -when properly constructed -are of great value in sparking discussions on possible correlations or causal relationships, among elements placed within both levels of analysis.…”

A Chase of Whys and Hows Kills the Beauty of What Is!

“…A statement by the genius of the century whose brain was dissected into 240 odd slices to find out why and how it worked so brilliantly [2] (probably without his consent), no wonder his quotes are lapped up by generations of children of lesser God. This is no criticism or denial of the advantages of the research on why and how of every act but I wish to present another perspective.…”

What stamps the wrinkle deeper on the brow?

“…Investigators have combed (so to speak) over Albert Einstein's cadaverous brow on the assumption that his brain must have been different from that of us ordinary mortals. 17 Using assumptions about the tricks of Einstein's trade (having to do with visuospatial reasoning), one somewhat enlarged area with enhanced sulcal complexity in a temporal lobe was indeed claimed to have been found. Responses to this necessarily post hoc study of a sample of size 1 are highly instructive (The Lancet, 1999, 354:1821-23), because the discussion is precisely about the kinds of features we've been discussing here.…”