The Brain: Very Important Organ, But Fragile And Goey

A Fixed Brain, Discoloured and Stiff. Much Like the Owner.

As an undergrad I was privileged enough to study human anatomy with the benefit of real specimens. I say privileged quite deliberately because bodies used by universities come from donors who knowingly gift their body for dissection and study.

Most bodies when received by a university are treated with formaldehyde to preserve the soft tissues. It is a very effective preservative, however, the odour of formaldehyde is not something you forget quickly. It leaches into your clothes and skin just from being in a lab with it, and even after a thorough shower you can smell it on you.

Dissection of bodies and their organs occur after preservation, which has the downside of altering the tissues somewhat. The tissues become firmer and the colour darkens but the specimens can be kept for surprising long periods of time if appropriately managed. The most dramatic changes occur to the brain. A preserved or “fixed” brain feels like soft, rubbery plastic. It readily retains its shape and if thrown at a wall would probably bounce back at you. A fresh brain, by contrast, feels like jelly with a thin skin of loose cling wrap. throwing it at a wall would be a messy experiment. It is floppy and fragile and relies on cerebrospinal fluid in which it floats in the skull to maintain form.

Handling a fresh brain can cause damage so it is always limited. For this reason handling one was a relatively unique experience which I am grateful for having had.

Following are two videos. The first is a short overview of the gross anatomy of a fresh brain. The second shows the dissection of the fixed brain of a former NFL player which is severely degraded by a disease called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. This disease is caused by repeated concussions and the destructive effects of a protein called tau which forms in the brain in response to the concussions.

I have also included a small gallery of additional images of various brains. My favourite is the one of Albert Einstein’s. I’d love to sit beside that brain on a tram ride through Bern…with a little yellow star stuck to his frontal lobes…and singing Cher’s If I Could Turn Back Time.