BBC News | Sci/Tech | Why size mattered for Einstein

Scientists at McMaster University, Ontario, Canada compared the shape and size Einstein's brain with those of 35 men and 56 women with average intelligence.

They think their findings may well explain his genius for mathematical and spatial thinking.

In general, Einstein's brain was the same as all the others except in one particular area - the region responsible for mathematical thought and the ability to think in terms of space and movement.

Albert Einstein

Uniquely, Einstein's brain also lacked a groove that normally runs through part of this area. The researchers suggest that its absence may have allowed the neurons to communicate much more easily.

"This unusual brain anatomy may explain why Einstein thought the way he did," said Professor Sandra Witelson, who led the research published in the Lancet.

"Einstein's own description of his scientific thinking was that words did not seem to play a role. Instead he saw more or less clear images of a visual kind," she said.

Einstein allowed his brain to be studied after his death

"To say there is a definite link is one bridge too far, at the moment," said Professor Laurie Hall, a brain imaging expert from the University of Cambridge.

"So far the case isn't proven. But magnetic resonance and other new technologies are allowing us to start to probe those very questions."

The researchers hope that the study will encourage the donation of brain specimens from other gifted individuals.