October 10, 2013
la times.com
"Einstein's Brain a Wonder of Connectedness"
Is it the size of your corpus callosum that determines how
smart you are or do other aspects of your brain also play a role in making you
a genius? This old age question was somewhat answered when researchers at the
University of Princeton discovered that Albert Einstein had a colossal corpus
callosum. The corpus callosum is a network of neural fibers that extends from
behind the forehead to the nape of the neck and connects the left hemisphere of
the brain to the right. The primary function of the corpus callosum is to carry
electrical signals between the brain’s right and left hemispheres. The thicker
a person’s corpus callosum is, the more creative they are. Einstein’s corpus
callosum was thicker in many sub regions of his brain than a typical young
healthy male. When Einstein died, his family gave permission for the removal of
his brain for further scientific studies. What they did not know was the great
discovery of how his brain functioned. Princeton University took many
photographs and documented different aspects of the physicist’s brain. The
photographs show Einstein’s corpus
callosum with great accuracy, which led to the determination of how well his
corpus callosum communicated with the
parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes. Earlier studies of Einstein’s brain
show that his parietal lobes were bigger than those of normal people. Most
authors write that different parts of his brain were better connected than an average
man his age. Further studies also show that Einstein’s genius was not entirely
due to his colossal corpus callosum. Instead, Einstein used some parts of his
brain more than a regular person. This included his critical thinking and
critical reasoning areas. This is quite
encouraging news for people that have a thin corpus callosum because they can
compensate by constantly exercising different parts of their brain to keep
their brains active and alert.
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