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Module 1.4c The Brain: Damage Response

and Brain Hemispheres

LEARNING TARGETS
1.4-8 Explain how a damaged brain can reorganize itself, and describe neurogenesis.

1.4-9 Explain what split brains reveal about the functions of our two brain
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hemispheres.

Copyright © Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
Responses to Damage

1.4-8 T o what extent can a damaged brain r
1.4-8 To what extent can a damaged brain reorganize itself, and what is eorganize itself, and what is
neurogenesis?
neurogenesis?
Earlier, we learned about neuroplasticity — how our brain adapts to new situations. What
happens when we experience mishaps, large and small? Let’s explore the brain’s ability to
modify itself after damage.
Most brain-damage effects described earlier can be traced to two hard facts: (1) Severed
brain and spinal cord neurons, unlike cut skin, usually do not regenerate. (If your spinal cord
were severed, you would probably be permanently paralyzed.) And (2) some brain functions
seem preassigned to specific areas. One newborn who suffered damage to a temporal lobe
area responsible for facial recognition was never able to recognize faces ( Farah et al., 2000 ).
But there is good news: Some neural tissue can reorganize in response to damage.
Neuroplasticity may also occur after serious damage, especially in young children
whose undamaged hemisphere develops extra connections (Lindenberger & Lövdén, 2019;

see also Figure 1.4-18 ). The brain’s plasticity is good news for those with vision or hearing

Figure 1.4-18
Brain work is child’s play
This 6-year-old child had surgery
to end her life-threatening
seizures. Although most of her
right hemisphere was removed
(see the MRI of a similar
hemispherectomy), her remaining
hemisphere compensated
by putting other areas to
work. Reflecting on their child
hemispherectomies, one Johns
Hopkins team reported being
“awed” by how well the children
had retained their memory,
personality, and humor (Vining
et al., 1997). The younger the
child, the greater the chance that Living Art Enterprises, LLC/Science Source Joe McNally/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
the remaining hemisphere can
take over the functions of the one
that was surgically removed.

80 Unit 1 Biological Bases of Behavior

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