[Planimetric volumetry of human brains]

1) Coronal sections measuring exactly 4 mm in thickness of 106 human brains (212 cerebral hemispheres) were cut with the Göttinger Hirnmakrotom. Planimetric volumetry of various macroscopically delineated structures was performed on photographs of the sections. 2) The volumes ovtained from 58 "normal cases" were used for determining preliminary standards as well as mean values and standard deviations for age and sex. The female-male ratio of the structures measured varies between 86 and 92%. Comparing right and left a predominance of the left pallidum for both sexes is apparent showing an error probability of less than 5%. In "normal" men a significant predominance of the rightsided frontal structures, located anterior to the anterior commissure, have been found (error probability of less than 1%). 3) Regarding the 48 "abnormal cases", striatum and pallidum show a uniform picture in Huntington's disease, namely an extreme shrinkage. The pallidum shrinks to a similar extent as the striatum, although its neurones are not substantially affected by this system atrophy. Other structures do not display similarly uniform changes in this disease. 4) In Parkinson's syndrome a tendency of the pallidum to enlarge -- though statistically not significant -- is seen. This raises the question whether a constitutional hyperplasia of this structure is sometimes involved in the pathogenesis. 5) In Pick's disease, it is not only the histologically impressive centers of shrinkage of the cerebral cortex that are atrophic, but, to a somewhat lesser degree, also the whole telencephalon. 6) In an 18-year-old girl with malignant obsessional neurosis (schizophrenia?) the volume of the striatum was highly above average values enlarged. 7) Bibliographical data of macroscopic-quantitative brain research reveal many problems which can be solved today due to improved methods.