Major Brain Pathway Rediscovered After Century-old Confusion, Controversy

Researchers from the University of Washington have stumbled upon a neural pathway which has been lost to medical science for over a century, allowing it to be studied for the first time with modern techniques. According to the paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, MRI scans revealed a bundle of fibers in the section of the brain associated with vision and recognition which was not found in any modern anatomy textbook. The research team later located a reference to the pathway in a record that had been stored since 1912, which reported that the pathway had been discovered in the late 1880s. It was reported in multiple publications under several different names due to inconsistent naming practices of the era. The researcher tasked with the historical analysis explained, “When we started, it was just for our own knowledge and curiosity. But, after a while, we realized that there was an important story to tell that contained a series of missing links that have been buried for so long within this puzzle of historical conversation among many who are considered the founders of the entire neuroscience field.” Future research with MRI scans will attempt to determine the pathway’s exact purpose and impact on cognition. To learn more about this study, click here.