3D-printed reconstruction of a healthy adult human brain

3D-printed reconstruction of the brain surface of a healthy female adult human brain, photograph. Neuroimaging science has seen the development of many novel techniques to investigate the structure and function of the living human brain. However, the gold standard is still considered to be post-mortem examinations and histological staining owing to the superior resolution and minimal source of artefacts. With the advent of advanced cutting-edge methodologies, which enable scientists to visualise the brain anatomy with a similar resolution to post mortem specimens, it might be high time we reconsidered what we define as our gold standard. In this image, the brain is viewed from the left hand side. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was used to acquire 2D data of a colleague's brain, which were then converted to 3D renders and exported to a printable format. The 3D print is made from golden Poly Lactic Acid filament and measures 4 x 6.5 x 3 cm.