Can you live with only half a brain?
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Harper Martinez
Studied at the University of Zurich, Lives in Zurich, Switzerland.
Hello, I'm an expert in neuroscience with a focus on cognitive functions and the brain's remarkable plasticity. When it comes to the question of living with only half a brain, it's important to understand that the brain is a highly complex and vital organ responsible for a wide array of functions, including sensory perception, motor control, cognition, and emotion.
In some cases, people have undergone a procedure called a hemispherectomy, which is the surgical removal of half of the brain. This is typically done to treat severe epilepsy that does not respond to medication and is confined to one hemisphere. While it's true that the brain can exhibit a degree of plasticity, meaning it can reorganize and compensate for injury, the extent to which someone can function after such a procedure varies greatly.
Children who undergo hemispherectomy at a young age tend to have better outcomes than adults because the brain is more adaptable and capable of rewiring itself during early development. However, even in children, the loss of half a brain can result in significant challenges, such as motor and sensory impairments, depending on which hemisphere was removed.
Adults who undergo this procedure may experience more profound deficits, as the brain's capacity to reorganize is not as robust as it is in children. The side of the brain removed will determine the specific deficits experienced. For example, if the left hemisphere is removed, which is typically dominant for language in right-handed individuals, there can be language and speech difficulties.
In conclusion, while it is possible to live with only half a brain, the quality of life and the ability to function can be significantly impacted. The brain's plasticity allows for some degree of compensation, but the extent of this compensation is highly individual and depends on factors such as age, the specific regions of the brain affected, and the cause of the brain loss.
In some cases, people have undergone a procedure called a hemispherectomy, which is the surgical removal of half of the brain. This is typically done to treat severe epilepsy that does not respond to medication and is confined to one hemisphere. While it's true that the brain can exhibit a degree of plasticity, meaning it can reorganize and compensate for injury, the extent to which someone can function after such a procedure varies greatly.
Children who undergo hemispherectomy at a young age tend to have better outcomes than adults because the brain is more adaptable and capable of rewiring itself during early development. However, even in children, the loss of half a brain can result in significant challenges, such as motor and sensory impairments, depending on which hemisphere was removed.
Adults who undergo this procedure may experience more profound deficits, as the brain's capacity to reorganize is not as robust as it is in children. The side of the brain removed will determine the specific deficits experienced. For example, if the left hemisphere is removed, which is typically dominant for language in right-handed individuals, there can be language and speech difficulties.
In conclusion, while it is possible to live with only half a brain, the quality of life and the ability to function can be significantly impacted. The brain's plasticity allows for some degree of compensation, but the extent of this compensation is highly individual and depends on factors such as age, the specific regions of the brain affected, and the cause of the brain loss.
Works at the Environmental Action Group, Lives in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
There are a surprising number of known cases of people missing half of their cerebral cortex��the outermost chunk of brain tissue. A currently living and healthy 16-year-old German girl is one. She was born without the right hemisphere of her cortex, though this wasn't discovered until she was 3 years old.
2014-9-19
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Ethan Turner
QuesHub.com delivers expert answers and knowledge to you.
There are a surprising number of known cases of people missing half of their cerebral cortex��the outermost chunk of brain tissue. A currently living and healthy 16-year-old German girl is one. She was born without the right hemisphere of her cortex, though this wasn't discovered until she was 3 years old.
