A 24 - year - old woman complaining of dizziness and nausea was admit to a hospital in Shandong Province lately , where she distinguish doctors she had struggled with balance all her spirit . When doctors performed a brain scan , they instantly noticed the problem : The woman was miss her cerebellum .
The cerebellum , which is Latin for “ little brain , ” is a small lump of mind subject situated below and toward the rear of the brain ’s two intellectual hemisphere . So densely packed are its neurons , that despite account for just 10 % of the brain ’s intensity , the cerebellum manages to jam in more than half of the encephalon ’s total nerve cell . To go about one ’s living without a cerebellum , it should go without say , is far from common;in the August 22 issuance ofBrain , doctors lead by neurosurgeon Feng Yu report the woman is one of just nine people know to have done so . That Yu ’s team documented her condition while she was alive draw the discoveryall the more especial .
The fair sex ’s case demo a fascinating example of neuroplasticity , the process by which one or more region of the learning ability adapt to compensate for damage to a different area of the brain , or a loss of some bodily function . If you lose a fingerbreadth , for instance , the neuronal representations of the neighboring fingers get bigger . Sever someone ’s optic mettle , and the neurons devoted to visual sense will be co - opted by nerve cell associate with other cognitive occasion . This is one reason blind mass be given to have first-class audio acuity .
In this woman ’s lawsuit , however , the missing torso part is not a digit , nor an optic nerve , but a sizable clump of the brainpower , itself . The cerebellum plays an authoritative role in motor control . Timing , coordination , ok effort – all of these matter rely in large part on this small , sub - hemispheric nous . Yu ’s team call the womanhood ’s experimental condition a rare example of complete primary cerebellar agenesis . “ This surprising phenomenon , ” the authors compose , “ brook the concept of extracerebellar motor organization malleability , specially cerebellum loss , fall out too soon in life . ”
allot to Mitchell Glickstein , emeritus prof of neuroscience at University College London , “ the title that mass with consummate cerebellar agenesis can be whole symptom free is far-flung , ” and hold open live by an “ oral tradition [ that ] masses who are born without a cerebellum may have no observable symptoms at all . ” In fact , he says , every document case of the status has been linked to “ a profound deficit in the development of normal apparent motion . ” This certainly looks like the case with this 24 - year - old woman , whose female parent report she was four years onetime before she could stand on her own , and seven before she could take the air unassisted , “ with a persistently unsteady pace . ” Her speech was also reportedly opaque until the age of 6 ( trouble articulating is a symptom of cerebellar disfunction ) . [ Pictured Here : “ Human Brain Without Cerebellum , ” on video display in the Anatomy Department of the University of Cambridge , Cambridge , UK | ViaGlickstein ]
Today , however , the 24 - year - old char ’s symptom are not characterized as debilitating , but as “ mild to moderate ” – her front “ slow up , ” or “ slightly irregular . ” Yu ’s squad notes that she is marital with a daughter , and describe her maternity and livery as “ uneventful . ” The generator name her neurologic exam in detail :
A neurologic examination revealed she could collaborate and amply orientate . A verbal analysis test revealed her word comprehension and expression remain intact and she had no sign of aphasia , but mild to moderate signs of cerebellar dysarthria . The patient has mild voice tremor with slurred pronunciation and her voice tone is slightly harsh . Cerebellar ataxia including Romberg ’s foretoken , and there is grounds of hound - genu - tibia damage . The patient experienced mild to restrained dysmetria in reaching the nose when administered the finger - to - nose test . Pronation - supination alternating movements were slenderly maverick and slowed . While she is able-bodied to take the air unsteadily without support , her gait is somewhat unfirm . The patient has grounds of tandem pace and moderately cut gait speed . There is no focal paresis but the heftiness tone is mildly increased . Evaluation of the sensory system showed no abnormality , no disfigurement of the fingers and toes were follow , and her complete blood count and urinalysis were normal .
Sometimes brain activities associate with a sure surface area are redistribute to other locations not following an injury , but in response to the area never having formed at all . Read more about this rarified face studyin the latest issue ofBrain . See also : Helen Thomson ’s coverage of the subject field inNew Scientist .
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