Hemispherectomy

The brain is the organ that makes us unique from other people. It is the organ that orchestrates our behaviour and houses our personalities. The consequences of brain damage can be irreversible. It is possible, however, to improve behaviour and functioning with the removal of a part of the brain. People born with Sturge-Weber syndrome (a disorder of blood vessels in the brain), often suffer from epileptic seizures and may be given medication to control the outbursts. The medication, however, may result in unwanted side-effects. In one case, a boy on medication for epilepsy related to Sturge-Weber had the side-effect of not being able to speak. The boy’s mother, after doing some research, determined with the help of doctors, that the best course of action was to have one half of her son’s brain removed as that half was very badly damaged.

The boy underwent surgery to have half his brain removed - a hemispherectomy. After a speedy physical recovery, the boy was weaned off his medication and soon after said his first words. He no longer had epilepsy nor any of the accompanying behaviour problems. In some cases a hemispherectomy does nothing to improve the life of the affected individual, but many times it does. Sometimes IQ can also improve dramatically. Why this happens and how a person with half a brain can be better off than before is still a mystery.