Neuroscientist Discovers A Previously Hidden Region Of The Human Brain

The brain is undoubtedly the most mysterious organ in the human body and it still seems to hold plenty of mysteries that need to be uncovered.

Back in 2014 when the movie Lucy came out, I remember someone made a comment that the whole premise of the movie was absurd since, not only do we use 100% of our brain (just specific areas at a time and not all simultaneously) but scientists were also pretty close to knowing all there is to know about the brain, and there should be no more surprises moving forward. If only they knew...

Fast forward four years since Lycy. Professor George Paxinos, a brain cartographer at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA), claims to have discovered a part of the brain that was, according to him, unknown to science until now. He named it Endorestiform Nucleus. Professor Paxinos has suspected of its existence for over 30 years but never had the means to definitively prove it without today's improved staining and imaging techniques.

This stealthy chap can be found within the inferior cerebellar peduncle, a bundle of nerve fibers near the base of the skull that connects the spinal cord and the brain. This region is typically associated with "processing sensory and motor information together to finely tune things like our posture, balance, and subtle movements".

However, the exact function of the Endorestiform Nucleus remains a mystery. But it is indeed a promising discovery since other animals studied (rhesus monkeys, chimpanzees) don't seem to have the same region in their brains. It is possible that this structure is a feature exclusive to human beings.