Mυελός (myelós, marrow) in Timaeus 69b-76e as a soul-body interface: Plato’s Neuroscience

Contreras-Pulache H.; Sánchez-Félix G.; Navarro-Navarro B.; Chávez-Chuquín M.A.; de Fatima Barrios-Orderique F.; Lam-Figueroa N.; Moya-Salazar J. · Kranion (2026) · DOI: 10.24875/kranion.m26000126

Resumen

Introduction: In this groundbreaking study, the presence of neuroscience in Plato’s late dialogue titled Timaeus is explored. This research establishes an essential and hitherto little-recognized link between Plato and the origins of neuroscience. Method: A qualitative approach and hermeneutic design are employed to analyze the fragment (69b-76e) of Timaeus, using a standard Spanish edition (Biblioteca Clásica de Gredos, Volume VI, translated by María Ángeles Durán and Francisco L. Lisi). Results: Platonic physiology, as presented in Timaeus, posits that in humans, the soul-body connection is rooted in the tripartition of a body part called “marrow”(μυελός, myelos), which refers to the nervous system (anatomically: central nervous system).The nervous system, according to Plato, is tripartite due to the tripartite nature of the soul, and this tripartition ensures a continuity that resolves the mortal-immortal and soul-body duality. Conclusions: Timaeus would very likely be the oldest documented record where a neuroscience is extensively developed. Plato’s neuroscience is grounded in the assertion of the tripartition of the nervous system.This discovery proposes a different view of the nervous system and provides a new framework for understanding the origins of neuroscience.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos; Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú; Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal; Universidad de Ciencias y Humanidades