Comparative Brain Collections Are an Indispensable Resource for Evolutionary Neurobiology

The underuse of these brain collections by neuroanatomists brought me to question why the collections are so often ignored or overlooked. At a practical level, many people are unaware that these collections exist, which is why the curators of these collections need to be more proactive. Researchers interested in broad comparative analyses also need to be encouraged to explore what is available in natural history museums and other specimen collections. Some museums, such as the National Museum of Natural History (Washington), have large numbers of brain specimens that could be used for neuroanatomical research. A second possible reason for the poor usage of brain collections is a concern raised by some authors regarding the compilation of neuroanatomical, specifically volumetric, data from a variety of sources. Roth et al. [2010] and Healy and Rowe [2007] have both criticized the use of data from disparate sources. The main reason underlying their criticism is simple: different methods result in different degrees of tissue shrinkage and thereby skewed volumetric measurements. This criticism is fair, but is it reasonable enough to exclude specimens under all circumstances? Should every researcher be expected to generate their own comparative brain colEarlier this year, Dr. John I. Johnson organized a conference in Washington, D.C., USA, as a tribute to the life and works of Wally Welker, a prominent member of the evolutionary neurobiology field [Johnson, 1993]. As part of this tribute, several people contributed talks focused on neuroanatomical collections throughout the world, including the Welker collection currently housed at the National Museum of Health and Medicine (Washington). A wide range of collections was discussed, some of which are well known (e.g. Heinz Stephan’s bat, insectivore and primate brain collection and Welker’s Wisconsin collection) and others not known at all to most scientists. What became clearly apparent to the conference attendees was that there are many brain collections worldwide and most of them are infrequently used. A potential consequence of this infrequent use is that the collections could be misplaced, destroyed or otherwise lost. Several people have since developed a committee (see http://braindatabases. wikispaces.com/) aimed at documenting these collections, increasing awareness of these collections within the scientific community and eventually digitizing these collections to make them more readily available for research and educational purposes. Published online: September 29, 2010

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