Going 3D: The BigBrain Is A Gift That Keeps on Giving

This blog is part one in a series of three about the BigBrain.

Do you remember the moment of putting on 3D glasses in a movie theater? There was awe and excitement as stories and images that were flat came to life. There was similar excitement yesterday when researchers reported in Science that they have created BigBrain, a high resolution 3D digital image of the brain.

To understand the excitement, it’s important to understand that like a 3D movie, this image isn’t simply a flat picture of the brain. It is incredibly in-depth. Have you ever had an MRI? Well this is hundreds of thousands times more detailed.  Some have compared BigBrain to Google Earth, which shows much of the globe, piece by piece. Scientists think this up-close-and-personal view will help us understand how the brain works.

But perhaps the most amazing part of the BigBrain story, is the one of how it came to be. BigBrain was reconstructed from a real donated brain, from a 65-year old woman who had passed away. She gave her brain to science, and now we may all benefit for years to come.

For it’s true that the brain truly is the final frontier. Did you know that even with BigBrain, brain donation remains an urgent need for understanding PD?

We can study other organs while a person is alive, but we cannot easily access and view a brain. The only way to study to do so to date has been to study brains donated to science. Brain donations enable scientists to learn more, for example by comparing a person’s medical records and PD symptoms, to their brain tissue after death.

That said, brain donation often brings up many questions and concerns for people with PD and their families. A few years ago, PDF Research Advocate Diana Barnwell wrote a beautiful story, "My Last Gift", about her decision to donate her brain to research, which may provide food for thought.

What’s your view of brain donation, and of this gift that made BigBrain possible?

At PDF, we always say that we can’t do our part without you. And in looking at BigBrain as an example, it’s true. In fact, this brain is only the first to be mapped. Scientists report planning to map other donor brains, including a male brain and others whose donors lived with certain diseases or conditions.

This emphasizes that it's your participation in research – including via brain donation – that brings us closer to solving Parkinson’s. So we say thank you to the anonymous donor that made BigBrain possible, and thank you to you.

Learn about brain donation by reading Diana's story, "My Last Gift," here, or by browsing PDF's list of US brain banks here.

The Importance of Brain Banks for Neurological Research

Would you consider donating your brain for science?

A few years ago, Diana Barnwell wrote an article, entitled, My Last Gift.  She chronicled her decision to donate her brain … and the complicated issues that arose when making her decision. 

Studying actual human brains – donated by individuals upon their death, as a contribution to science – is a vital way to understanding neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s.  After all, the brain is the only mysterious organ that we can’t study during a person’s lifetime.

This is why it was so devastating to scientists around the world, particularly those at the Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital, when the institutions’ brain bank suffered a freezer dysfunction last week.  The institution lost 150 brains that had been donated for research.

They say this constitutes one-third of the world’s largest collection of autism brain samples.  The brain bank also housed brains designated for Parkinson’s research.

How does brain donation work?  It varies at institutions around the country – from their requirements for donating to whom they consider eligible.  For instance, some institutions require a donor to be seen several times a year at their center, while others require just one visit.  Most times, much like any kind of organ donation, the decision to donate needs to be made well ahead of time.

For a listing of Parkinson’s brain banks in the US, browse PDF’s website, which includes our own PDF-funded brain bank at Columbia University Medical Center.

Back in 2010, Diana said her decision to donate was, “a magnificent legacy!”  Do you agree?