The uniqueness of the human brain: a review.

The purpose of this review is to highlight the most important aspects of the anatomical and functional uniqueness of the human brain. For this, a comparison is made between our brains and those of our closest ancestors (chimpanzees and bonobos) and human ancestors. During human evolution, several changes occurred in the brain, such as an absolute increase in brain size and number of cortical neurons, in addition to a greater degree of functional lateralization and anatomical asymmetry.

"Estrutura da Celula Nervoza", by Bruno Lobo and Gaspar Vianna (1908): a pioneering work on Brazilian Neuroscience.

Currently, the scientific production in Neuroscience in Brazil is very rich, but, historically, it has been scarce at first. The aim of this study is to present the work "Estrutura da Celula Nervoza", by Bruno Lobo and Gaspar Vianna (1908), as a pioneering work for Brazilian science.

The remarkable pioneering contribution of Gaspar Vianna to the study of the neuropathology of Chagas disease.

Gaspar Vianna is considered one of the great names in Medicine and Science in Brazil. Yet, little prominence has been given to his studies in Neuropathology. He was the first to describe, in 1911, the histopathology and pathogenesis of chagasic encephalitis in the acute phase of Chagas disease, as well as the intracellular life cycle of Trypanosoma cruzi.

[The Nobel Prize database as an indicator of the internationalization of Brazilian science from 1901 to 1966].

Working with the Nobel Prize database, covering 1901-1966, the article examines the analytical potential of the participation of Brazilians both as nominees for the world's most prestigious award in science, the Nobel Prize, and also as invited nominators. Of the 18 Brazilians nominated for the Nobel, nine were in the category Peace, four in Literature, four in Physiology or Medicine, and one in Physics. The article comments on the nominations of Brazilian scientists in the categories of Physics and Physiology or Medicine, as well as on nominations by Brazilian nominators in these same two categories.

Cytoarchitecture of nitrergic neurons in the human striatum and subthalamic nucleus.

Background: Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous molecule that modulates several physiological processes, including signal transmission in the central nervous system. There is evidence supporting NO as a major neurotransmitter involved in motor and emotion/behavior control. We investigated the distribution and morphology of nitrergic neurons in the two main input structures of the basal ganglia of human brain: the striatum and subthalamic nucleus.

Effects of aging on nitrergic neurons in human striatum and subthalamic nucleus.

Nitric oxide (NO) is a major neurotransmitter associated with motor control in basal ganglia. Movement disorders, as essential tremor and Parkinson's disease, are more prevalent on aged individuals. We investigated the effects of aging on neuronal density and diameter/area of nitrergic neurons in samples of striatum (caudate and putamen) and subthalamic nucleus of 20 human brains from normal subjects, stained by histochemistry for NADPH-diaphorase and immunohistochemistry for neuronal NO synthase.

Open-ring enhancement in pseudotumoral multiple sclerosis: important radiological aspect.

Introduction. Observation of open-ring enhancement in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered a specificity marker for diagnosing pseudotumoral multiple sclerosis (MS). This finding is of great value in the differential diagnosis of tumefactive lesions.

Pathology of CNS parasitic infections.

Parasitic infections of the central nervous system (CNS) include two broad categories of infectious organisms: single-celled protozoa and multicellular metazoa. The protozoal infections include malaria, American trypanosomiasis, human African trypanosomiasis, toxoplasmosis, amebiasis, microsporidiasis, and leishmaniasis. The metazoal infections are grouped into flatworms, which include trematoda and cestoda, and roundworms or nematoda.

Granulomatous amoebic meningoencephalitis in an immunocompetent patient.

Objective: To report a case of granulomatous amoebic encephalitis caused by Balamuthia mandrillaris.

Design: Case report.

Setting: University hospital.

Central nervous system involvement in Chagas disease: a hundred-year-old history.

This review gives an account of central nervous system (CNS) involvement in Chagas disease, as confirmed by pathological studies. The fundamental histopathological finding associated with the acute nervous form of the disease is nodular encephalitis in multiple foci. CNS involvement probably does not occur in patients with the mild symptomatic acute form; or, in some cases, mild encephalitis in sparse foci may be present.

Immunohistochemical identification of plasma protein deposits in the wall of lenticulostriate arteries in patients with long-standing hypertension, with and without lipohyalinosis.

Purpose: To investigate, through an immunohistochemical method, whether there is deposition of plasma proteins in the wall of lenticulostriate, cortical and leptomeningeal arteries of hypertensive patients, with and without lipohyalinosis.

Method: Forty patients with essential hypertension were selected at random, 20 with lipohyalinosis in the lenticulostriate arteries (HH group) and 20 without lipohyalinosis (H group), matched with 20 normotensive controls (C group).

Results: Plasma protein deposits were identified in eight patients (40%) in the C group, in 15 patients (75%) in the H group, and in all 20 patients (100%) in the HH group, the difference being significant for the H group and highly significant for the HH group, as compared with the C group.

[The assessment process within science and the nomination of Carlos Chagas for the Nobel prize for Physiology or Medicine].

One of the greatest achievements in the history of medicine was the description of Chagas disease by the physician and scientist Carlos Chagas. A hundred years after the discovery of the disease, speculation still remains regarding the two official nominations of Carlos Chagas for the Nobel Prize, the biggest worldwide scientific award, in 1913 and in 1921. It has been accepted that the reason why the prize was not awarded to this brilliant scientist may have been the strong opposition that he faced in Brazil, from some physicians and researchers of that time.

[Cerebral amyloid angiopathy presenting as a brain tumor: case report].

We describe the unusual case of a 45-year-old male patient harboring an intracranial mass due to cerebral amyloid angiopathy whose clinical and radiological features were those of a low grade glioma. Biopsy revealed cerebral amyloid angiopathy. The clinical, radiological and pathological findings are discussed as we review the available literature.

[Cavernous hemangioma of the internal auditory canal encasing the VII and VIII cranial nerve complex: case report].

We report the surgically treated case of a 21-year-old caucasian male harboring a cavernous hemangioma of the right internal auditory canal encasing the seventh and eighth cranial nerves complex. Only 18 cases of cavernous hemangiomas of this location have been previously reported. The clinical features, the differential diagnosis and the treatment are discussed.

Cleft cavum of the septum pellucidum in victims of fatal road traffic accidents: a distinct type of cavum associated with severe diffuse axonal injury.

Background: The cavum of the septum pellucidum (CSP) is a small cavity constantly present in fetuses and newborns, of variable frequency among necropsied adults and with a high frequency in professional boxers.

Method: A pathologic study was conducted on brains of 626 patients without a history of head trauma (group 1) autopsied consecutively from a general hospital and of 120 random victims of fatal road traffic accidents (group 2).

Results: In group 1, 237 (37.

The conformation of the brain plays an important role in the distribution of diffuse axonal injury in fatal road traffic accident.

Objective: A study was made of the brain lesions in 120 random victims of fatal road traffic accidents to determine the frequency and topographic distribution of diffuse axonal damage (DAI) in relation to the midline brain structures.

Method: The identification of axons was carried out with a mouse antibody anti-neurofilament proteins 70-, 160-, and 210-kD.

Results: DAI was identified in 96 (80%) brains and classified as Grade 1 in 21.

Acute subdural hematoma and diffuse axonal injury in fatal road traffic accident victims: a clinico-pathological study of 15 patients.

Objective: Although acute subdural hematoma (ASDH) and diffuse axonal injury (DAI) are commonly associated in victims of head injury due to road traffic accidents, there are only two clinico-pathological studies of this association. We report a clinical and pathological study of 15 patients with ASDH associated with DAI.

Method: The patients were victims of road traffic accidents and were randomly chosen.

[Hypoxic brain damage in victims of fatal road traffic accident: prevalence, distribution and association with survival time and other head and extracranial injuries].

Objective: To describe the prevalence and distribution of hypoxic brain damage and its association with survival time and other head and extracranial injuries.

Method: A macro and microscopical study of brain lesions in 120 victims of fatal road traffic accident, independent of the survival time, was made. The patients were autopsied in the Instituto Médico Legal de Minas Gerais, in Belo Horizonte, from 1989 to 1993.