Split Brain Surgery Research Paper

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the correlational method as a means for examining the relationship between functions of the left and right hemispheres. I will compare the performance of people with intact brains with the performance of so-called split-brain patients. In many ways, the brains of these two groups are very similar. 1a. The brain stem is found in the deepest part of the brain. The brainstem controls the automatic survival functions of the body, such as breathing. There are no differences between the function of the normal brainstem and the brain of a split brain patient. The brainstem will still supply the automatic survival functions of the body. 1b. The hippocampus is found in the limbic system along with the amygdala, the hypothalamus. The hippocampus is in charge of allowing the body to process information into memories. Without the hippocampus, there is no way for new memories to be created. There is no anatomical difference between the hippocampus in the normal brain and a split brain. 1c. The corpus callosum is found in the center of the brain. The role it plays as a part of the brain is it connects both the left and right hemispheres of the brain, allowing them to work and interact together as a whole system. The difference between the anatomy of the corpus callosum in a split brain patient versus someone without a

Roger Sperry was a psychologist and neuroscientist whose main work focused on the left and right hemispheres of the brain (Hockenbury and Hockenbury 2014). Roger Sperry’s area of research was categorized as neurophysiology. Sperry’s most famous research dealt with split-brain operations where the corpus callosum has been completely severed (Hockenbury and Hockenbury 2014). The corpus callosum consists of a bundle of neurons that are responsible for the communication between the two hemispheres of the brain. The severance of the corpus callosum was performed in order to treat severe epileptic seizures, which are caused by the unpredictable firing of neurons in one hemisphere transducing to the other hemisphere (Hockenbury and Hockenbury 2014). The separation of the corpus callosum prevents the random firing of neurons caused by epilepsy in one hemisphere from reaching the other hemisphere. The split-brain operations allowed Sperry the opportunity to study the independence and functionality of each hemisphere. Sperry’s early life and education took him on a journey that would lead to split-brain research, the Nobel Prize, and future researchers expanding on his work and knowledge.

Describe how an understanding of both a normally functioning brain and a split brain enables us to better appreciate the fact that most information processing takes place outside of

As shown in the chart, the split brain has a low correlation than the intact brain, which has a higher correlation. This proves that a person with a split brain cannot process information to the left and right. Face recognition is in the right side of the brain while vocabulary and reasoning in the left side of the brain. When comparing face and reasoning it only gave a low correlation same with face and vocabulary. Vocabulary and reasoning is in the left hemisphere, therefore, being a bit more stronger than the rest of the results. In the intact brain reasoning, vocabulary, and face are being processed to the left and right showing that they are laterized.

In case you or any of your near ones is affected with brain tumor, you should visit the doctor to know the possible treatments other than surgery and other important questions related to brain

Nicholas Kristof. (2017, October 30). Trump’s Legacy: Damaged Brains. The New York Times. Retrieved November 1, 2017, from

Recent studies show success for seizures when using corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulins, or tacrolimus. Once neurological deficits have stabilized, doctors will perform a surgical procedure such as a hemispherectomy, (remove affected hemisphere of brain), to reduce seizures and improve cognitive abilities. In some cases the disease can still progress to the opposite brain hemisphere. There has not been any medical advancements to halt the progress of the disease in the long term. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, is currently looking for patients who are “8 years of age or older, have simple or complex partial seizures, (seizures that come from one area of the brain), have seizures that persist despite medical therapy, (medically intractable epilepsy), and are willing to have brain surgery if indicated to treat medically intractable epilepsy.” http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/clinical_trials/NCT01273129.htm. To participate in this clinical study involving brain surgery for the treatment of epilepsy, persons can use the website

A split-brain can be described as a procedure severing the corpus callosum, the main bond between the brain's left and right hemispheres, as a treatment for epilepsy. After a split-brain surgery, the two hemispheres do not exchange information. Although these halves look similar they have very different functions. This division of tasks between the hemispheres is called lateralization of function. But, contra-laterality is the property of the brain such that one side of the body is controlled by the opposite hemisphere of the brain: the left hemisphere control the right side of the body and vice versa. Michael Gazzaniga and Roger Sperry used techniques that involve using apparatus that can present visual information so that it goes only

The goal of surgery is to achieve seizure freedom, by removal of the epileptogenic tissue,

Split brain (calloscotomy) has been proven to decrease the amount of times a person will have a seizure. Though the corpus collosum connects the left and right hemisphere; once split in half it still functions. The left hemisphere is more reading and writing while the right is more physical. You can also say that having split brain is like having split personality. Ethically it’s a responsibility to ensure the patient health is a priority over all else. If having this procedure doesn’t affect the patient’s

Split brain occurs when there is a lack of a corpus callosum or when the corpus callosum is severed. Making it so there is no connection between the two hemispheres of a person’s brain. A person with a split brain is either born with no corpus callosum or they have undergone a Corpus Callosotomy, which is a procedure that surgically cuts the corpus callosum (separating the brain’s two hemispheres) to lessens epileptic seizures.

Research about splitting the brain has spanned more than a century and it has shown that the left hemisphere accidents

Walter Dandy, an American neurosurgeon unintentionally paved the way into research on split-brain patients in the 1930s. Split-Brain refers to patients who have had their corpus callosum severed to some extent or in whole. This procedure was mainly used as an extremely invasive surgical procedure within patients suffering from intractable epileptic seizures. The corpus callosum consists of over 200 million nerve fibres connecting the left and right hemispheres of the brain and enables corresponding regions to communicate. During one of Dandy’s surgeries, he had to cut through corpus callosum of a patient in order to get to an underlying pineal tumour. Following surgery, Dandy observed and performed psychological and cognitive tests and concluded that splitting the corpus callosum did not cause any changes in cognitive behaviour

The brain is divided into two separate hemispheres or halves. The complete surgical removal or disconnection of one half of the brain due to uncontrollable seizures is called a Hemispherectomy. In the most dramatic cases they need to remove the whole hemisphere, in more common cases though only a small part of the effected side needs to be removed. The deeper parts of the brain like the thalamus, brain stem and the basal ganglia are left untouched.

The human brain is divided in two different symmetrical parts, the hemispheres, which are connected by the corpus callosum – this connection enables us to engage in higher cognitive processes (Rogers, Zucca & Vallortigara, 2004). Evolution provided us with the capacity to benefit from lateralization, allowing us to perform well while involved in two completely different tasks simultaneously. Furthermore, the plasticity of the brain makes it easy to thrive in extreme situations, such as having the two hemispheres disconnected or even having one hemisphere removed. In such cases the nervous tissue will adapt itself and reach its maximum potential, so that the person can survive and retain consciousness. This ability is more pronounced in children, in which the reorganization of the cerebral cortex after traumatic surgeries such as hemispherectomy is an indication of the possibility of recovery and cognition with just half of the brain.