Montreal Neurological Institute - History

History

The MNI was founded in 1934 by the neurosurgeon Dr. Wilder Penfield (1891–1976), with a $1.2 million grant from the Rockefeller Foundation of New York and the support of the government of Quebec, the city of Montreal, and private donors such as Izaak Walton Killam. In the years since the MNI's first structure, the Rockefeller Pavilion was opened, several major structures were added to expand the scope of the MNI's research and clinical activities. The MNI is the site of many Canadian "firsts." Electroencephalography (EEG) was largely introduced and developed in Canada by MNI scientist Herbert Jasper, and all of the major new neuroimaging techniques---computer axial tomography (CAT), positron emission tomography (PET), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were first used in Canada at the MNI. Working under the same roof, the Neuro's scientists and physicians made discoveries that drew world attention. Penfield's technique for epilepsy neurosurgery became known as the Montreal procedure. Kenneth Elliott identified γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) as the first inhibitory neurotransmitter. Brenda Milner revealed new aspects of brain function and ushered in the field of neuropsychology as a result of her groundbreaking study of the most famous neuroscience patient of the 20th century, H.M., who had anterograde amnesia and was unable to form new memories. In 2007, the Canadian government recognized the innovation and work of the MNI by naming it one of seven national Centres of Excellence in Commercialization and Research.

The institute and hospital were administered by the same director until 1963, when, in accordance with Quebec's newly introduced Hospital Act, the Montreal Neurological Hospital was incorporated as a government-funded institution under separate administration. Although the hospital remains a government-funded institution, it was reintegrated with the institute in 2005 under the single directorship of Dr. David Colman, the MNI's director since 2002.

The Montreal Neurological Hospital is one of five separate teaching hospitals of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). The MUHC plans to build a medical centre at a site called Glen Yards near downtown Montreal. Discussions surrounding the construction and financing of the MUHC's new centre have dragged on at the mercy of political and economic ups-and-downs for more than a decade. Initial plans were for the MNH and the other members to move to the new facilities, but a strong movement among Neuro staff is trying to keep the institute and the hospital at their original location, preserving the clinical research model that Wilder Penfield established with striking success. In November 2009, the Neuro celebrated its 75th anniversary.