Ramón y Cajal (Santiago Ramón y Cajal)

Santiago Ramón y Cajal was a pioneering Spanish neuroscientist known for his detailed studies of the nervous system. Using early microscope techniques, he mapped the structure of neurons—the cells that transmit signals in the brain and spinal cord—and discovered that they are individual, separate cells rather than a continuous network. His work laid the foundation for modern neuroscience, helping us understand how the brain processes information. In 1906, he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his groundbreaking contributions to understanding nerve cell structure and function.