Children with half a brain

[jason]

Ex-Lemmingworks. ##.

Via Mind Hacks:

The New Yorker magazine has an article on hemispherectomies - surgical procedures which remove half of the cortex, usually in an attempt to cure otherwise life-threating epilepsy.

These operations are usually carried out on children, as remarkably, those in their early years can often develop normal adult skills and abilities if surgery is carried out early enough.

As someone who is planning to have brain surgery at some point, though aren’t we all, this is very interesting. The question comes down to not just how we learn, but combines with the notions of relearning, which we’re realizing is possible after catastrophic events.