Cortical structure and mental skills: Oskar Vogt and the legacy of Lenin's brain
1Institute of Anatomy and Histology, University of Verona, Italy. marina1@borgoroma.univr.it
Abstract:
Anatomical study of the brain of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, the intellectual leader of the Russian October revolution, was conducted in an unusual context. Lenin died in 1924, at 54 years of age, as a consequence of progressive cerebrovascular disease. The eminent German neuroscientist Oskar Vogt (1870-1959) was requested by the Soviet government to examine Lenin's brain; an Institute for Brain Research, directed by Vogt, was founded for this purpose in Moscow. Tens of thousands of sections were cut serially through Lenin's brain. In his official report in 1929, Vogt adduced that pyramidal neurons of layer III in several areas of Lenin's cerebral cortex were exceptionally large and numerous. Based on his opinion that these cells might subserve "associative thinking," Vogt apparently believed that this structural peculiarity could account for the strikingly acute and penetrating mental processes that had characterized Lenin's personality. Vogt's scientific activity, the cultural and political context of the study of Lenin's brain, and its modern implications are discussed briefly.
Related Concept Videos
Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory
Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
Structuralism
Titchener's approach to structuralism was unique. He employed introspection, a method...
Cognitivism
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process information is...
Organization of the Brain
Hindbrain
The hindbrain, located at the base of the brain, plays a vital role in regulating automatic processes that sustain life. It includes the medulla oblongata, which is essential for...
Lobes of the Cerebrum
Frontal lobe
The frontal lobes, located behind the forehead, are the command center of our brain, controlling personality, intelligence, and voluntary muscle movements.


