Science: People missing half their brain function almost perfectly normally
posted at 2:52 pm on May 26, 2007 by Allahpundit
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Snarky comments about Democrats and Bush adm. officials begin in 3…2….1….
OneEyedJack on May 26, 2007 at 2:58 PM
Is that mischief I smell?
JammieWearingFool on May 26, 2007 at 3:02 PM
By the way, AP, this is real dedication, scouring the wires for points of interest on a holiday weekend.
I’m only reading this now because gardening in mud and rain is no fun.
OneEyedJack on May 26, 2007 at 3:02 PM
If you’re fortunate enough to be paid to blog you’ve got to go the extra mile.
Allahpundit on May 26, 2007 at 3:08 PM
Give this man a raise, a parking space, and a gas card.
Limerick on May 26, 2007 at 3:10 PM
Wait, which half of her brain is intact?
Jim Treacher on May 26, 2007 at 3:19 PM
An office with a window, a secretary, and a open ended expense account.
Legions of fans….
Kini on May 26, 2007 at 3:31 PM
I don’t know about that, I know a few people who you wouldn’t notice anything different!
4shoes on May 26, 2007 at 3:54 PM
Gives a whole new meaning to “… with half my brain tied behind my back…” Rush!
Neocon Peg on May 26, 2007 at 4:03 PM
…a stick of butter, a quart of milk…
jummy on May 26, 2007 at 4:06 PM
I guess some people aren’t ‘half’ brained after all.
Hmmmm, left or right which do I want to keep?
Speakup on May 26, 2007 at 4:07 PM
Imagine how much progressiveness there w/b if we’d all use 100% of our brains.
But then again: Murtha, M. Waters, C. Sheehan, D. Cunningham, the Vent audience, truthers, Venezuelan voters, M. Chertoff, B. Streisand, Jimmy Carter, etc., etc…
Entelechy on May 26, 2007 at 4:12 PM
I’ll take this post as unofficial confirmation that I can continue to post comments.
Buck Turgidson on May 26, 2007 at 4:15 PM
I have a friend that had a huge tumor removed from her brain, which honestly required nearly half the brain to be removed. She is sadly not the same person but she can function in society.
Buzzy on May 26, 2007 at 4:19 PM
Buzzy,
That is too sad. Hope everything goes well for her in the future.
Neocon Peg on May 26, 2007 at 4:45 PM
I’ve read scientific articles that say “the norm” is that people use only one-tenth of their brain capacity. But I don’t think that’s true … I’m fairly sure I know people that on average use far far less.
Maxx on May 26, 2007 at 6:01 PM
Why do so many health articles need to start with a ghastly bloody surgery photo that makes the Al Qaida torture manual look like a Beatrix Potter anthology? I’m just askin.
boru on May 26, 2007 at 6:31 PM
That’s true, but the caveat is they only use about 10% at a time. While sitting and watching a movie, you’re using about 10% of your brain, but “motor functions” aren’t being used much. While sitting and knitting a sweater, a largely different 10% of your brain is being used… while walking and chewing gum a somewhat different 10%…
While there’s obviously a lot of overlap for different activities, pretty much all your brain gets used for a variety of activities sooner or later.
taznar on May 26, 2007 at 8:11 PM
It’s hard for me to understand why people like Rosie, Alec Baldwin, or Babs get any attention paid to their political opinions at all.
conservativecaveman on May 26, 2007 at 9:42 PM
This is just a reasonable guess, I know, but it seems that one thing neurologists will discover from studying the people who have undergone hemispherectomies as young children is that the remaining hemisphere has a better supply of nutrients and oxygen than the corresponding hemisphere does in people who have both hemispheres intact. I imagine the remaining hemisphere retains more of its neurons during childhood, adds a larger-than-normal number of new ones, and forms a larger number of interconnections per neuron. There must also be a certain economy in having just one hemisphere; no neurons or connections have to be given over to communicating with the nonexistent hemisphere.
Kralizec on May 26, 2007 at 10:06 PM
Not the bottom, rear half.
Just the superficial new stuff on the top and front.
The ‘Reptilian Brain’ is essential (breathing etc.).
The ‘Thinking Brain’, not so much.
Which explains the enduring success of Islam.
(Rather than explode myths, they explode themselves.)
On this topic, anyone interested picking their own brain should grab a copy of Julian Jaynes’ neural stimulant “The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind“.
You never think of the words corpus colossum the same way again.
profitsbeard on May 26, 2007 at 11:23 PM
AP, I have half a mind to protest this topic vociferously.
Mojave Mark on May 27, 2007 at 12:41 AM
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