Brenda Milner: biography of this neuropsychologist

Who is Brenda Milner? Why has this woman been so important to the development of psychology, and even more so, of neuropsychology? how has been his life? What have been your most relevant contributions?

In this article we answer all these questions; we will do a brief review of the life of this researcher through this Brenda Milner biography, a pioneer in scientific research.

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Who is Brenda Milner?

Brenda Milner is a Canadian neuropsychologist, who was born in Manchester (UK) on July 15, 1918, at the height of the First World War. Milner worked until she was 90, and now she is 101.

Milner has become a key figure in the field of psychology, especially for his her contributions to scientific research, where she has carried out various studies focused on the clinical neuropsychology. One of her outstanding investigations explored the interaction between the left and right hemispheres of the brain.

For many, Brenda Milner is considered the founder of neuropsychology. Let us remember that neuropsychology is the discipline that integrates the knowledge of neurology with those of psychology; thus, it deals with studying the possible injuries or damage that our central nervous system receives, and how These affect psychological and cognitive processes (for example attention, memory, behaviour…).

On the other hand, neuropsychology also studies the different diseases that the nervous system can have, in addition to neurodevelopmental disorders.

Continuing with the biography of Brenda, beyond the investigation, this scientist has been passionate about teaching. She worked at McGil University in Montreal as a professor, specifically, in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery. She also developed her work as a professor, in this case of psychology, at the Montreal Neurological Institute.

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Recognitions and awards

Brenda Milner has been widely recognized for her academic and professional contributions, and she can boast of having received more than 20 honorary doctorates.

In addition, it is worth highlighting an award that she received in 2014, thanks to her discovery of brain networks specialized in cognition and memory. The award, which was the “Kavli Prize in Neuroscience”, was received by her along with two other researchers: Marcus E. Raichle (American neurologist) and John O'Keefe (British-American neuroscientist and psychologist).

Origin and childhood

Brenda Milner's original name, prior to marriage, was Brenda Langford. Brenda was born into a family passionate about music.

Brenda's father, Samuel Langford, was a journalist, teacher, and music critic, and her mother, Née Leslie Doig, was a singing student. However, soon she Brenda would move away from her parents' musical heritage, and she would embark on her journey as a scientist.

The same year she was born, in 1918 and when she was only 6 months old, Brenda and her mother contracted the "Influenza Pandemic". It was the most serious pandemic in recent history, causing between 20 and 40 million deaths. Luckily, Brenda and her mother overcame the disease.

Studies

As for her education, Brenda's father instructed her, until she was 8 years old, in mathematics, German, and the arts. Later, the first school Brenda Milner attended was Withington Girls School, and later, in 1936, she entered "Newnham College" (Cambridge), thanks to a scholarship that she obtained to to study math.

Importantly, at that time, Brenda Milner she was one of only 400 women admitted to this highly regarded school.

So Brenda's journey began with mathematics, but later, realizing that she was "not her thing," she changed and Brenda decided to study psychology. She graduated as a psychologist in 1939; specifically, she obtained a degree in experimental psychology.

One of her prominent tutors was Oliver Zangwill, a highly influential British neuropsychologist.. It was through him that she "inherited" an interest in studying how the brain works and how brain injuries can affect it.

And then... Canada

After graduating in Psychology, Brenda Milner received another scholarship. This time to continue studying psychology, at the University of Cambridge. However, World War II began, and she and some of her colleagues were enlisted in the collective effort.

At first, they worked helping to design psychological tests for fighter pilots. It was there that she met her future husband: Peter Milner, who was an electrical engineer.

Brenda and Peter were married in 1944, and later they went to live in Canada. Once there, she Brenda began working at the University of Montreal, as a professor of psychology. There she followed her scientific career and continued her passion for research.

What's more, she began her doctorate in 1950 with Dr. Donald Hebb, in his department at McGill University. Note that Donald O. Hebb, a neuropsychologist, is considered, today, the initiator of biopsychology.

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Doctorate

In 1952, Brenda Milner received her doctorate from the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI). Her research focused on the study of patients affected by epilepsy, and in the effects, at an intellectual level, that caused different damages on the temporal lobe.

After obtaining her doctorate, Brenda continued at the MNI, under the orders of Wilder Penfield, a neurosurgeon specializing in the study of different brain tissues and their functions.

Psychology: moral or science?

One of Brenda Milner's greatest contributions to the field of psychology was move this science away from morality and closer and closer to scientific knowledge. Before her arrival, psychology was considered a moral knowledge, and not so much scientific.

That is, through psychology, people's behaviors were judged as "good" or "bad", according to a series of values, but she did not take into account that sometimes certain brain or neural lesions could influence the behavior of the people. With Milner all this changed, and psychology began to be considered more as a scientific than a moral knowledge.

What Brenda Milner did was, fundamentally, advance knowledge and research in neuropsychology. Through this branch of psychology, she relates the physiology of the brain with cognitive and mental functions. Milner she showed how neurology and psychology had much more in common than previously thought until then.

Life enthusiast

Brenda Milner continues to work today, and when she turned 100, she held an honorary symposium for her birthday. The phrase that Brenda said that day, and with which we stayed, was: ‘’ Everything continues to be a wonderful adventure. I still enjoy it every minute. ''

To this day, Brenda is one of the most valued female scientists in psychology, and especially in neuropsychology, for her contributions, her dose of humility, vitality and hard work.

Bibliographic references:

• Benavente, R. (2019). Brenda Miller, the neuropsychologist who helped eliminate the moral idea of ​​psychology. Women with science.
• McDevitt, N. (2007). Brenda Milner: Making a little noise when she walks. McGill Reporter, 40 (8).
• Milner, B (1954). Intellectual function of the temporal lobes. Psychological Bulletin 51 (1): 42-62.