HOW CAN THE BRAIN REWIRE ITSELF AFTER HALF OF IT IS REMOVED

1. HOW CAN THE
BRAIN REWIRE
ITSELF AFTER
HALF OF IT IS
REMOVED ?
Ahmed Alshaqaq

2. IMPORTANT
TERMS
Brain malformation: conditions that entail abnormal
formation of the brain during pregnancy
Intractable seizures: seizures that patients cannot control
even under medical treatment
Cerebral hemispheres: the two parts that form human
brain
Cognition: the process of human brain to acquire
knowledge and comprehend through senses, thoughts and
experience
Brain tumors: abnormal cells that grow in some part of
the brain

3. SUMMARY OF
THE NEWS
ARTICLE
 According to the news article, the research study was funded by
a non-profit organization owned by Mr. and Mrs. Jones.
 The aim of the study was to find a solution for children with
brain seizures and tumors.
 In addition, the study would help people looking for
hemispherectomies beyond early childhood.
 The news article gives a clear explanation about people with
hemispherectomies who participated in the study.
 Such people behaved like typically developed adults. However, MRI
reports indicated that they had half of their brain removed during
childhood.
 The news source explains how the remaining half brain
reorganizes itself to function.
 This reorganization leads to full recovery in a manner that one’s
brain performs normally (Robinson, 2019).

4.  Recovery from brain tumors after surgery depends on an individual’s age.
 People who undergo brain surgery at a younger age (below 5 years) are likely to have better recovery.
 Patients may recover more function if their condition entails limited number of seizures
 People who experience seizures repeatedly may take time to recover after undergoing surgery
 Patients who have one hemisphere removed take some time to recover as the brain adapts to function in
its new form.
 The functioning hemisphere organizes itself such that it can perform the tasks of the affected
hemisphere.
 This reorganization starts even before a patient is treated
 Therefore, by the time the spoilt hemisphere is removed, the remaining part may have already adapted
to performing extra cognitive functions
SUMMARY OF THE NEWS
ARTICLE

5. SUMMARY OF THE NEWS
ARTICLE
 Children experience various side effects after undergoing brain surgery. For instance, their hands on the opposite
side of operation may become weaker.
 They may also experience weak eyesight and lose the ability to recognize where sounds are coming from.
 Some activities require training and rehabilitation; they include reading, writing and singing. (underlying diseases
usually compromise such skills).
 Further research will help improve knowledge about brain functioning. This will ensure that brain tumor patients
are treated efficiently.

6. PRIMARY SOURCE STUDY
The researchers in the study were
surprised by the ability of human
brain to function after half of it
was removed.
The researchers compared the
human brain to the human heart
based on its function-ability after
surgery.
The study shows that it is
impossible for the human heart to
function after removal of some
part, unlike the case of human
brain.
According to the study, the
human brain uses both
hemispheres to function.
However, the brain adjusts itself to
function with one hemisphere
after a surgery.
According to the researchers, the
plastic nature of human brain
facilitates full cognition of
remaining networks after brain
surgery.

7. PRIMARY SOURCE
STUDY
 The images show the brain
representation of people
that participated in the
study.
 They had different parts of
brain removed during
childhood.
 They had cognitive
functions similar to people
that had not undergone
brain surgery.
 This shows that the human
brain can still function
even after some part is
removed at an early age
(Kliemann et al, 2019).

8.  . Changes in characteristics of concerted network connectivity have been reported to correlate with
changes in human cognition
 For example, variations in anticorrelation between the default mode and the attention networks have
been linked to disrupted brain function and altered states of consciousness.
 The common altered states of consciousness include sleep deprivation, psychiatric disorders, and
general anesthesia.
PRIMARY SOURCE STUDY

9. DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN
NEWS
ARTICLE AND
PRIMARY
SOURCE
 The primary source contains images and
illustrations about how the human brain works
after removal of one hemisphere.
 However, the news source does not show such
images for effective understanding of readers
 The news report lacks data about the details of
study. For instance, the article does not include
details of research participants (gender, age and
role of participant)

10. RESULTS
The research study stated that brain surgery for removal
of one hemisphere is only effective if conducted at the
age of 5 years and below.
People who undergo removal of one hemisphere at an
older age are more likely to have complications after
surgery.
The regions responsible for processing sensorimotor
information, attention, and vision communicated more
frequently in the people who have one hemisphere.
People with one hemisphere seemed to have their brain
networks multitask (Kliemann et al, 2019).

11. EFFECTIVENESS OF THE JOURNALIST
The information in the news
article directly reflects on the
original research study.
01
The journalist for the New York
Times newspaper properly
translated the research study
such that people can easily
comprehend its content.
02
The news article used direct
quotes to effectively deliver
the research study information.
03

12. REFERENCES
 Kliemann, D., Adolphs, R., Tyszka, J. M., Fischl, B., Yeo, B.
T., Nair, R., ... & Paul, L. K. (2019). Intrinsic functional
connectivity of the brain in adults with a single cerebral
hemisphere. Cell reports, 29(8), 2398-2407.
 Robinson, R. (2019). Hemispherectomy Leaves Brain
Networks Intact and Strengthens Their
Connections. Neurology Today, 19(24), 36-37.