Picturing Parkinson's: Scientists capture vivid images of the brain
AT FIRST glance these vibrant pictures appear to capture a scene from outer space. However, they are in fact images of the inner-most workings of the human brain
Scientists have captured vivid images of the brain for a new competition
Brain scientists have captured these remarkable images of the human brain.
The pictures, captured in the course of their research, have been entered into a competition called Picturing Parkison's.
Established by Parkinson's UK, the competition has been set up in the memory of Dr Jonathan Stevens, a scientist who died from the disease at the age of 34 last December.
Winner of the competition was Nerve Superhighway, by Rowan Orme of the University of Keele.
The green branches shown in the winning picture are axons, said to "act like super-fast broadband connections" that allow different parts of the brain to communicate, but which Parkinson's causes to break down.
The image is called Nerve Superhighway and was captured by Dr Rowan Orme
In second place were the bright pinks and greens of 'Waterlillies', by Nicola Drummond of Edinburgh University, in fact a depiction of the build-up of protein within the brain.
The protein, Alpha-sinuclein, is thought to play a role in the death of nerve cells in Parkinson's.
Nicola Drummond came runner-up with this image titled Waterlilies
This image is called Tangled Web and was captured by Joel Beevers
Parkinson’s UK Research Director Dr Arthur Roach said of the winners: “Beautiful images like ‘Waterlillies’ would be at home in the Tate, but are in fact the product of tireless researchers working to unpick what’s going awry in the hundreds of millions of nerve cells to cause people to develop Parkinson’s.
“As well as being visually arresting, the images give us unique insights into how we could intervene and stop Parkinson’s, or even prevent the condition in the first place.”
Dr Amy Reeve photographed mitochondria, the batteries of our cells
Brian Stevens, Dr Stevens’s father, who judged the entries with his family, said: "Judging this extraordinarily complex research was a sheer privilege.
"Jonathan would be honoured that this competition was held in his memory.
"He was an avid supporter of Parkinson’s research, and communicating its progress to inspire other people with Parkinson’s."
This image is called Purple Haze and was captured by Heather Booth