Brains!

[andrewducker]

Remember I had an MRI scan a while back?

They finally sent me the pictures. Not only was there a full set of slices in three axes, but also this rather spiffy set of all three mid-sections.

Anyone care to explain anything to me?

Comments

[seabat.livejournal.com]

you have such nice eyes.

[johanna-alice.livejournal.com]

You do appear to have two eyes, and I think I might be able to point at your amigdyla...

[andrewducker]

I'm a geek - I'm not sure I'm allowed an amygdala :->

[johanna-alice.livejournal.com]

Its like a BIOS but for people :)

[andrewducker]

I know what it is - it's responsible for a large part of emotional processing and theory of mind. Hence geeks not being allowed to have one :->

[johanna-alice.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, not quite convinced.

I'm a geek too. My amigdyla kicks in daily with fight or flight reflexes...

[andrewducker]

Which would make perfect sense. Read this:
http://autism.about.com/od/aspergerssyndrome/a/moodsasperger.htm
Particularly the bit about anxiety and the amygdala...

cool

[zz]

as digital files or printouts?

Re: cool

[andrewducker]

A CD of jpegs :->

[johanna-alice.livejournal.com]

Now I really wish you hadn't pointed that out. There's at least one abnormality in my brain anyway (the TS bit :), but after many, many times wondering why people just can't see what looks obvious to me, I do sometimes wonder if its me...

And on a completely random note, I'm pretty sure I have the LEGO man in your icon :)

[octopoid-horror.livejournal.com]

This will answer all your questions. Seriously.

[giantbedsprings.livejournal.com]

Mattia (my boyfriend who studies medicine) can't see anything abnormal, but adds that the picture quality here is not good enough.

He also wonders (as do I, only having recently added you) why you had an MRI scan.

Eyeballs are freaky!!!

[jrittenhouse.livejournal.com]

braaaaaaINS!

[octopoid-horror.livejournal.com]

[e-halmac.livejournal.com]

WOW! That is amazing. Your head is wicked!

[laserboy.livejournal.com]

Doesn't look like you have schizophrenia, so that's good. Healthy brain all in all.

[andrewducker]

A psychology PhD who was doing experiments on what happened in brains when they had to make a choice between two different options that were equally good (or nearly so) - comparing a control group to schizophrenics. I was in the control group :->

[andrewducker]

Don't take it too seriously :->

[andrewducker]

Yay!

[octopoid-horror.livejournal.com]

Seriously, the link I posted honestly will help.

[drjon.livejournal.com]

I can see your house from here.

[sttatus-quo.livejournal.com]

Did you get whacked on the left side of your head as a youngster?

You do have a very sexy brain.

[andrewducker]

Not that I remember - I did nearly break my neck once, but that was falling backwards, not onto my left side.

But you're right - there's some interesting asymmetry there.

[andrewducker]

That did, indeed, tell me everything I needed to know :->

[sttatus-quo.livejournal.com]

It is a very healthy looking brain. I've seen enough atrophied, stroked, tumor-ridden, or trauma-injured brains to know what healthy looks like.

Regarding the asymmetry.. just as faces aren't entirely symmetric I suppose that brains aren't either.

The coronal(face to back of head slices) and axial (top to bottom of the head) views both show more space outside the brain on the left side. It looks more like a case of "more space" not "less brain" on that side.

The other view isn't all that revealing in terms of symmetry. (that's called a saggital view if you're interested)

[derumi.livejournal.com]

You look smart! :D

I had a CT scan done a few years ago, but the CD they made for me was a coaster.

[andrewducker]

Cheers! (I am occasinally astounded by the breadth of knowledge on my friends list)

[martling.livejournal.com]

If you've got all the slices, I can probably remember how to turn them into a really neat 3D visualisation with about ten lines of VTK.

[andrewducker]

Oooh, cool - if you can do anything with it then great!
www.notzen.com/andrew/AndrewDucker_Brain.zip

Re: cool

[cdave]

Did it have a player with it?

Mine did. It's weird watching the scanner move up through your head.

Re: cool

[andrewducker]

Sadly, no player.

But just scrolling them up and down the page was cool.

[taromazzy.livejournal.com]

The Boy Wonder says it'd be unethical of him to say anything (policy guidelines of the Royal Society of Radiographers) but reccomends you see your neurologist sooner rather than later :-)

[andrewducker]

Just want to make sure you're taking the piss - but you got me worrying for a mo.

I do know that a radiographer and a couple of experts have already looked at it, I just worry...

[taromazzy.livejournal.com]

Heh heh, you know that I'm ALWAYS taking the piss. If he saw anything, I'd call you :-)

What he does say though is that the picture quality IS good enough - that the detail is clearer than on a normal diagnostic machine, which is why Octopoid Horror was able to see all the implant so clearly!

[andrewducker]

I wonder why it's clearer - possibly they needed more detail for the study they're doing.

I was mostly disturbed by how odd eyes look...