A bigger role for the little brain?

In the early 19th century, neuroanatomist Franz Joseph Gall believed that the cerebellum, the little attachment to the brain that packs half of the neurons in our head, is the “organ of the instinct of reproduction.” The bigger it is the stronger our libido.

But if you’ve ever lost your balance, or staggered home from a party after a few too many drinks, you’ll know what happens when it isn’t working properly.

The cerebellum (meaning little brain in Latin) has critical roles in controlling and co-ordinating movement. Without a cerebellum, you would have a hard time walking in a straight line or learning to ride a bike – functions that it performs automatically and unthinkingly.

But some researchers now believe that the humble little brain has roles beyond just fine-tuning movement: It may also contribute to higher mental functions such as thought and emotions.

Freud was a pioneering neuroscientist

Penis envy. Repression. Libido. Ego. Few have left a legacy as enduring and pervasive as Sigmund Freud. Despite being dismissed long ago as pseudoscientific, Freudian concepts such as these not only permeate many aspects of popular culture, but also had an overarching influence on, and played an important role in the development of, modern psychology, leading Time magazine to name him as one of the most important thinkers of the 20th century.

Before his rise to fame as the founding father of psychoanalysis, however, Freud trained and worked as a neurologist. He carried out pioneering neurobiological research, which was cited by Santiago Ramón y Cajal, the father of modern neuroscience, and helped to establish neuroscience as a discipline.