A close-up shot of the surface of living human's brain showing
the arteries and veins that supply it with nutrients and oxygen has
won the 2012 Wellcome
The Wellcome Image Awards celebrate medical photography, which
is a notoriously difficult practice as photographers have to work
around clinicians and have very little control over lighting
The winning image was taken by Robert Ludlow from UCL's Institute of Neurology during
a surgical procedure to treat epilepsy. The patient was about to
have an intracranial electrode recording procedure, where a
flexible electrode grid is attached to the surface of the brain.
Their brain activity was then recorded over a two week period to
identify specific areas of the brain that need to be removed to
prevent epileptic fits.
Professor Alice Roberts, who was a member of the judging panel,
said: "This is a remarkable image of a human brain. What makes it
so different from most images of the surface of the brain is that
this organ is living -- this is a brain as it is encountered during
neurosurgery. Through the skill of the photographer, we have the
privilege of seeing something which is normally hidden away inside
our skulls. The arteries are bright scarlet with oxygenated blood,
the veins deep purple, and the 'grey matter' of the brain a
flushed, delicate pink. It is quite extraordinary."
There were 15 other images that were also given awards this
year, including a close-up shot of a caffeine crystal, a
microscopic shot of a moth fly, a chicken embryo vascular system
and a microneedle vaccine. You can see a selection of the winners
in the gallery embedded in this post.
The images are also on display at Wellcome Collection until 31
December 2012 and at http://www.wellcomeimageawards.org.