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september 13, 2017 \ newsweekly - € 0,75 \ read more at www.flanderstoday.eu current affairs \ p2
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WHEN The wild wind blows
Locals trapped on islands devastated by Hurricane Irma are looking to the federal government to help them get home \2
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Hip to be square
An Antwerp doughnut shop is wowing crowds with its strikingly shaped sweet snacks that come in far-out flavours, too \ 10
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Gods’ house
The restoration of Antwerp’s Hofkamer is complete, with the gods in their rightful place and a new first floor juxtaposing old and new \ 11
© Yves Herman/ REUTERS
The brains in the basement Unique collection in Duffel begins to unlock its secrets Leo Cendrowicz Follow Leo on Twitter \ @LeoCendro
A collection of more than 2,500 human brains, gifted to a psychiatric hospital in Duffel, could solve mysteries about neurological conditions like depression, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s.
T
he vacuum-sealed plastic containers stacked on the shelves are embossed with text familiar to Tupperware users: “Open lid prior to use in microwave oven” and “only reheatable, not for cooking”. The contents float in fluid, looking like morsels of meat. But they’re not going anywhere near an oven. They are human brains. And there are more than 2,500 of them, pick-
led in plastic containers and glass jars, in a university cellar in Duffel, Antwerp province. “I don’t find it creepy,” says Manuel Morrens, professor of cognitive neuroscience at Antwerp University, reading my mind. “I see these brains as the raw material for research into conditions like schizophrenia and severe depression. This is a gold mine for us.” Duffel is best known as the Flemish town that gave the world the coats and bags that still bear its name, but the brain bank takes the local reputation in a very different direction. It is an unlikely story, and a ghoulish sight, but one that could lead to new insights into the links between
body and mind. The brains were gifted to the Duffel Psychiatric Hospital (PZ Duffel) last year by a London hospital that pioneered brain research in the post-war era. They were part of a larger brain collection started by British pathologist John Corsellis in 1951, who collected brains of deceased patients at Runwell Hospital, a psychiatric facility in Essex. The Corsellis collection includes brains from people with a variety of neurological disorders, including tumours, dementia, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s and even injuries caused by boxing. Patients who died at the hospital had routine autopsies, and the brains were kept, along with detailed medical continued on page 5