Missing Brain Parts

Missing an entire portion of the brain sounds catastrophic--and even more so when that part of the brain contains 50% of the brain's neurons--but a woman the age of 24 proves just how adaptable the brain is. Usually those with missing cerebellums die at a young age, but this woman has lived with relatively few problems for her condition. She could not speak properly until age 6 and didn't walk until 7, but other than dizziness and nausea, her body functions normally. The cerebellum is thought to have a role in motor and speech control but mostly control voluntary movements, so it is amazing that she is living with such minor problems. Doctors say that the cortex probably took over those roles.

If someone had their corpus callosum severely damaged or removed, the brain would have little or no connection between the left and right hemispheres. Surgeries on removing the corpus callosum have been done to treat severe epileptic seizures, so it is clear that people can live without this part. However, damage to the corpus callosum could result in a lack of will to move or speak, called akinetic mutism. Separating the left and right brain can also lead to split-brain syndrome, where the patient's body will act differently on the left and right side because of the brain's inability to cohesively communicate to control the entire body at once. There really is no other part of the brain that can take ovre the role of the corpus callosum because it physically connects the two hemispheres.