Alcmaeon of Croton

Alcmaeon of Croton (c. 6th century BC) is considered by many to be the world's first neuroscientist. He concluded from his studies that the brain is the seat of perception and cognition, which contradicted the mainstream view at the time that the heart was the center of intelligence. He also excised an animal's eye and stated that optic nerves conduct light from the eye to the brain.