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January 12, 2007

Strange But True!

Q. How much could someone accomplish using literally only half a brain? You can probably guess how medical science determined the answer to this one.

A. This situation arises in “hemispherectomy,” or surgical removal of the entire right or left hemisphere of the brain. In one such case, says David G. Myers in “Psychology,” a 5-year-old boy had severe seizures, causing a deteriorating left hemisphere, which was removed. What hope for the future would such a child have? Amazingly, he later actually scored well above average on intelligence tests, completed college and attended graduate school. At last report he was an executive.


 
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