News & Media
Neuro News - June 2007
Director's Corner
Giotto's Red Circle
In my lab, we are in the throes of preparing several manuscripts that require rather complicated illustrations. No matter how hard we try, we find it very difficult to reduce the detail of the figures. We need a high degree of complexity to effectively convey the points we make in these papers.
But sometimes the simplest of illustrations makes the strongest point. Perhaps the classic example of this is the story of Pope Benedict XI and the 14th century painter Giotto di Bondone. The Pope sent an emissary to Tuscany to interview artists for a special commission to paint a mosaic in St. Peter's. The Pope's messenger was instructed to take back to the Vatican examples of the work of each artist, from which the best artist would be chosen for the project. When he met with Giotto and requested a sample of his work, Giotto dipped a brush in red ink, and - freehand and on the spot - drew a single, absolutely perfect circle as the emissary looked on. When the courier protested that this would be an insufficient submission when compared with the elaborate landscape and portrait drawings his competitors had submitted for scrutiny, Giotto smiled and commented that he thought the Pope might understand. And so Giotto was chosen for the project.
Similarly, the capacity to cut through the fog and reveal the elegant simplicity within has surfaced often in scientists as well as artists. Barbara McClintock's experiments in maize genetics (for which she received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1983), D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson's studies on growth and form, and E.O. Wilson's observations on ant social structure stand out particularly sharply in my mind. In their own way, they each have the power of Giotto's red circle.
And art and science mix well, too, in this regard. One of my favorite artists is Karl Blossfeldt (1865-1932), whose botanical photographs are simple, beautiful, and riveting.
So these days, I think about how nice it would be if only we could illustrate our paper on how oligodendrocytes engage a nerve fiber and synthesize a myelin sheath with the equivalent of a single, perfect red circle...
Alas, not possible! Nature too often is very complicated indeed. Karl Blossfeldt photos from left to right : balsam, monkshood, fern, and chesnut.
Karl Blossfeldt photos from left to right : balsam, monkshood, fern, and chesnut.
Please send any comments about the Director's Corner to David Colman
Recent News & Events
Michael Petrides, director of the MNI’s Cognitive Neuroscience Unit and a Killam Scholar, was elected to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences. This honour is bestowed in recognition of his research on the function of frontal cortex and its role in working memory. Michael has demonstrated that the mid-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is critical for monitoring thoughts and plans for action, while other areas of frontal cortex are necessary for selecting actions based on conditional rules. With comparative anatomical studies, he is also uncovering how language capabilities evolved.
Michael is one of 24 new Foreign Honorary Members and 3 Canadians elected this year. He is joined as a new member by former US Vice President Al Gore and winners of the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize and Academy Awards. At the MNI, he follows in the footsteps of Brenda Milner, who is also a Foreign Honorary member of the Academy. The formal induction ceremony will take place in October at the Academy headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Upcoming events
June – Stroke Awareness Month
The Stroke Team at the MNI, directed by neurologist Jeanne Teitelbaum, is
an innovative multidisciplinary team of professionals offering the most
advanced stroke care and conducts cutting-edge clinical research into acute
stroke treatment and stroke prevention. At a press conference last Tuesday,
the Team reported on an advanced technology now available to stroke
patients and those at risk for repeated strokes. The Stroke Team was the
first in Quebec, and the second in Canada to implant a new specialized
intracranial stent - a small thin, wire mesh that can be inserted into the
arteries, ensuring vessel support and opening up clogged arteries in the
brain.
Donatella Tampieri, Director of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology performed the procedure last July on Mr. Terence Hamill, a patient with arterial stenosis who had already suffered 2 strokes. One year following the successful stent implantation, Mr. Hamill is doing well and has recovered speech and locomotion abilities that were impaired following his strokes.
Neurology Day and Donald Baxter Lecture
On June 14, the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery will host
Neurology Day with presentations by residents at 1:30 pm. At 4 pm, the
Donald Baxter Lecture, Neurology (the Journal): New Directions for 2007 and
beyond, will be presented by John Noseworthy, MD, Editor-in-Chief of
Neurology and Professor, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. This public event
will be held in the Jeanne Timmins Amphitheatre at the MNI.
Christopher Thompson, Professor in the Medical Physics unit in the Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery, and Biomedical Engineering and Director of the MNI’s Research Computing Laboratory, has announced his retirement after 37 years at McGill. Chris is a pioneer in the development Positron Emission Tomography (PET), a medical imaging technique, and was instrumental in bringing the first PET scanner to Canada in 1975. Throughout his career, Chris worked to improve PET technology and created efficient strategies for capturing and analyzing the images. In recent years, Chris developed a portable PET scanner as an economical devise to detect breast cancer. In addition to his critical contributions to the imaging program at the MNI, Chris has served as a consultant in the biotech industry and is President of his own firm, Scanwell Systems.
On June 18, all are welcome to attend a Tribute to Chris Thompson from 1:30-5 pm in the de Grandpré Communications Centre. Friends and colleagues will discuss Chris’ important contributions to the development of PET imaging and his role at the MNI. A reception will follow the program.
MNI Groundbreaking Ceremony
On June 20, the MNI will host a Groundbreaking Ceremony to mark the
construction of the new North Wing. Researchers Alan Evans, Bruce Pike,
Amit Bar-Or, neurosurgeon André Olivier and Dave Colman will discuss the
expansion of the McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, and the development of new
academic programs and services for patients. This expansion includes much
needed space for research initiatives and provides better access for
patients who visit the day clinics at the MNI.
Neuro Convocation
The 4th Neuro Convocation and Lifetime Achievement Awards Ceremony will be
held in May 2008. Details and nomination forms will be forthcoming in the
fall.
Congratulations to …..
Garth M. Bray, former Neurologist-in-Chief at the Montreal General Hospital and member of the Centre for Research in Neuroscience, who was named Emeritus Professor at the 2007 McGill Convocation. The University Board of Governors bestows this high honour upon retirement to select members of the faculty who have demonstrated academic merit and distinguished service.
The dedicated professionals who received Neuroscience Nursing awards for 2007: Erik De Agostinis for Nursing Leadership; Guerla Berthold for Nursing Practice; Toni Vitale for Nursing Research; Maria Rapone and Micheline Vincelli , Partner-in-Practice awards; and staff on 3 Northeast led by Pat Kerr, Naomi Akazawa, Mel Andres, Louise Lajoie and Johanne Carpentier, and on 3 South led by Sylvie Lussier, Michelle Bayard, Lucia Costa and Rose Mangahas for Nursing Education.
Condolences to …..
Friends and family of Mary Graham (nee Newton), who died peacefully on May 24. A founding member of The Friends of the Neuro, Mrs. Graham was a dedicated and devoted volunteer. Her children, Boyd and Sally, ask that any gifts in her memory be directed to the Montreal Neurological Institute or to the Griffith McConnell Residence.
The next issue of the MNI Bulletin will be sent to you in September.
Director - David R. Colman, PhD
Senior Management - Mark Angle, MD; Tom Gevas; Marilyn Kaplow; Elizabeth
Kofron, PhD; Patricia O'Connor; Catherine Rowe
MNI Bulletin Editors: Elizabeth Kofron, PhD & Sandra McPherson,
PhD
Please send any items for the MNI Bulletin to Sandra McPherson or Beth Kofron.
