David Eagleman’s book Livewired explores neuroplasticity, the brain’s superpower, which lets it reshape after extreme surgery and adapt to losing a sense
Health
23 September 2020
Our brains can remake themselves to adapt to changing circumstances
Andriy Onufriyenko/Getty Images
Book
Livewired: The inside story of the ever-changing brain
Canongate Books
IMAGINE if your 6-year-old son needed surgery to remove a staggering half of his brain. That was what faced Matthew, a boy with a rare condition triggering many epileptic seizures a day and that could only be treated with this drastic surgery. When he woke up afterwards, he was incontinent and couldn’t walk or speak.
Yet with daily physical and language therapy, Matthew regained these abilities. In three months, he was almost back to …
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