Lokalisatie van hersenfuncties, 125 jaar na het proefschrift van de eerste Nederlandse vrouwelijke arts, Aletta Jacobs

– Aletta H.Jacobs was the first female physician in the Netherlands. In 1879, she defended her thesis which addressed the subject of localising brain functions. In it she described three neurological patients using systematic conventions highly resembling those in use today. Moreover, she discussed whether or not functions were regionally represented. Her discussion concluded in favour of localisation. These days, the concept of distributed networks goes beyond simple topographical representation. This is illustrated in the cerebral organisation of vision. It is possible to discern visual centres that are specialised in processing specific qualities such as colour or visual motion. An additional feature of such segregated processing streams is the presence of underlying connections to specific brain areas at a distance. Functioning as a node in multiple networks, one single brain region may potentially be involved in multiple functions. This depends on the interactions with other regions and on the actual dominance of information processing within such networks.

Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd 2005;149:482-6