Georg N. Koskinas (1885-1975) and his scientific contributions to the normal and pathological anatomy of the human brain
- PMID: 16325012
- DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2005.08.012
Georg N. Koskinas (1885-1975) and his scientific contributions to the normal and pathological anatomy of the human brain
Abstract
Georg N. Koskinas is invariably recognised by neuroanatomists as Constantin von Economo's co-author on the celebrated Die Cytoarchitektonik der Hirnrinde des erwachsenen Menschen, published 80 years ago in Vienna and Berlin. That text and Atlas are generally accepted as a monumental landmark in the evolution of morphological brain research. A number of neuroanatomists and neurophysiologists continue to use to this day the parcellation scheme of the cerebral cortex into 107 areas, proposed by von Economo and Koskinas (and logically denoted by alphabetical characters from the initials of the respective lobes), despite the commoner adoption of Brodmann's scheme of 52, randomly numbered, areas. Several works have been written about the life and work of von Economo; on the other hand, virtually nothing can be found in the biomedical literature about Koskinas. This study aims at posthumously restoring part of the fame due this illustrious man of 20th century science -- and giant figure of brain anatomy -- whom history has not treated in the fairest of ways. We present newly gathered biographical data, as well as lesser known aspects of his scientific productivity. Koskinas' neuropathological studies, in collaboration with Ernst Sträussler -- of Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease fame -- include findings from patients inoculated with malaria as a form of therapy for progressive general paresis (research related to psychiatrist Wagner von Jauregg's 1927 Nobel Prize), colloid degeneration, and the laminar distribution of status spongiosus lesions. Koskinas' neuropsychiatric activities in Greece upon his return from Vienna in 1927, and until his parting in 1975, are further related, including his successful -- and "Hippocratic" -- practice in the suburbs of Athens, his association with the Vogt Institute for Brain Research at Neustadt, and lesser known neuroanatomical works.
Similar articles
-
The Economo-Koskinas atlas revisited: cytoarchitectonics and functional context.Stereotact Funct Neurosurg. 2007;85(5):195-203. doi: 10.1159/000103258. Epub 2007 May 29. Stereotact Funct Neurosurg. 2007. PMID: 17534132 Review.
-
The signalling contributions of Constantin von Economo to basic, clinical and evolutionary neuroscience.Brain Res Bull. 2006 Apr 14;69(3):223-43. doi: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2006.02.001. Epub 2006 Feb 28. Brain Res Bull. 2006. PMID: 16564418
-
The percipient observations of Constantin von Economo on encephalitis lethargica and sleep disruption and their lasting impact on contemporary sleep research.Brain Res Bull. 2006 Apr 14;69(3):244-58. doi: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2006.02.002. Epub 2006 Mar 3. Brain Res Bull. 2006. PMID: 16564419 Review.
-
A proposed number system for the 107 cortical areas of Economo and Koskinas, and Brodmann area correlations.Stereotact Funct Neurosurg. 2007;85(5):204-15. doi: 10.1159/000103259. Epub 2007 May 25. Stereotact Funct Neurosurg. 2007. PMID: 17534133 Review.
-
A short history of neurosciences in Austria.J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2006 Mar;113(3):271-82. doi: 10.1007/s00702-005-0400-7. J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2006. PMID: 16453085
Cited by
-
The search for true numbers of neurons and glial cells in the human brain: A review of 150 years of cell counting.J Comp Neurol. 2016 Dec 15;524(18):3865-3895. doi: 10.1002/cne.24040. Epub 2016 Jun 16. J Comp Neurol. 2016. PMID: 27187682 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Georg N. Koskinas (1885-1975).J Neurol. 2006 Oct;253(10):1377-8. doi: 10.1007/s00415-006-0304-y. Epub 2006 Oct 24. J Neurol. 2006. PMID: 17063313 No abstract available.
-
Area TEO and "Area ?": cytoarchitectonic confusion corrected by connectivity and cortical ablation.Brain Struct Funct. 2018 Nov;223(8):3515-3529. doi: 10.1007/s00429-018-1714-1. Epub 2018 Jul 26. Brain Struct Funct. 2018. PMID: 30051283 Free PMC article. Review.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Personal name as subject
- Actions
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources