Why people can Survive with Half brain and yet Brain damage people have problems?

[niceguyVZ]

I'm watching documentary about kids that have their half of their brain removed and 10 days after the operation they're walking and have good memory , respond, and look normal with some paralysis on one side but they loo normal and respond to people and the environement. GOing to school, dancing in dance class, running full speed( yeah she was) NOT ONLY THAT. She had the brain removed because she was having uncontrollable seizures, and after they removed it she has no more seizures.

Mm.. that's cool.

But why then people with full brain who get injuries suffer a lot and can be in commas and even die?

So does that mean it would better if we just removed all our half brains since birth and it would be better to live with half a brain?

 

[Nakamova]

The brain is amazingly plastic and unpredictable. I saw a documentary about an infant who had hydrocephalus -- basically a build up of fluid that destroyed most of her brain. But because she was so young, her brain was very plastic and was still generating lots of neurons, so the tiny piece of brain that was left was able to take on most of the functions that a full brain can. As we age, our brains become a bit less plastic and more vulnerable to damage -- though you'd be surprised at how well even the aging brain can be retrained or repaired:

One of the most recent applications of neuroplasticity involves work done by a team of doctors and researchers at Emory University, specifically Dr. Donald Stein and Dr. David Wright. This is the first treatment in 40 years that has significant results in treating traumatic brain injuries while also incurring no known side effects and being cheap to administer. Dr. Stein noticed that female mice seemed to recover from brain injuries better than male mice. Also in females, he noticed that at certain points in the estrus cycle females recovered even more. After lots of research, they attributed this difference due to the levels of progesterone. The highest level of progesterone present led to the fastest recovery of brain injury in these mice. They developed a treatment that includes increased levels of progesterone injections to give to brain injured patients. "Administration of progesterone after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke reduces edema, inflammation, and neuronal cell death, and enhance spatial reference memory and sensory motor recovery." In their clinical trials, they had a group of severely injured patients that after the three days of progesterone injections had a 60% reduction in mortality. One of their patients was in a horrific car accident that left him with marginal brain activity; according to the doctors, he was one point away from being brain dead. His parents decided to have him participate in Dr. Stein’s clinical trial and he was given the three-day progesterone treatment. Three years after the accident, he had achieved an inspiring recovery with no brain complications and the ability to live a healthy, normal life.

(from wikipedia)

The kind of recovery the brain makes has a lot to do with the timing and extent of the injury, as well as the speediness and nature of the treatment.

 

[niceguyVZ]

THanks Naka.
Well in my case I had in childhood. had recovery but many memory and stuff problems , now i 'm experiencing seizures since last month. 20+ years after.

But with the kids with half brains. They have no chance of seizures or further problems as they age?

 

[Nakamova]

But with the kids with half brains. They have no chance of seizures or further problems as they age?

More than 75% of hemispherectomy patients experience complete or nearly complete seizure control -- which means, 25% may still have seizures. In addition, they will never have full movement or normal sensation in the arm and leg on the side opposite the operation. (There is some sensation in the upper arm and thigh, so walking is possible, usually with physical therapy.)

 

[Janus]

What a great thread. I question this too. For me, it is E as well as TBI and brain damage that will not go away. This includes, but is not limited to; mood disorders, rage attacks, random confusion and slow processing. I can hide it pretty well but there is no denying the visible eccentricity that impels me to wear off-putting clothes and express my dual reality life style (art as life and living with conformists) I told my neighbors that we are living in a police state RUN BY SUBURBAN DADS.

 

[PFunk]

I told my neighbors that we are living in a police state RUN BY SUBURBAN DADS.

And the whole time I thought it was the government. :embarrassed: