Is it possible to survive with half a brain?

Question

Is it possible to survive with half a brain?

Answer 1

Yes it is!  But I don't know at what age it becomes a problem.  In the news the other day, they talked about how they removed half the brain of a toddler because of a cancerous growth.  They said that the remaining half adapts and learns what the other half used to control, and the toddler will live a normal life.

Answer 2

Not exactly. But it is possible to survive after one cerebral hemisphere has been removed. Some patients even retain a good quality of life when it is the non-dominant hemisphere that has been lost.

Over the course of my career I had two patients with a large posterior encephalocele. A significant portion of the brain protruded out the back of the skull. They both survived after surgery, but with considerable handicap.

Answer 3

Labotomys (half of the brain is removed) have been performed before so i'm sure it is possible... you obviously lose a lot of the function that a 'normal' person would have and a likely result is you lose control of one half of your body

Answer 4

You've come to the right place, to ask that, my friend.

Answer 5

I KNOW PEOPLE WALKING AROUND WITH A LOT LESS THAN THAT.

Answer 6

Apparently, half the people i work with only have half a brain!

Answer 7

Yes, but only if your young...like...6 and under I think can it be done to function normally. Your brain can reform itself so all your functions work right. After that though, your brain has already gotten use to working the left and right, so you may not be to do some things as usual.

Answer 8

Apparently, yes.  Not only possible to survive, but it would seem also become president of the USA.

Answer 9

I agree with Taylor.  It's possible for a young child to have half of their brain removed without significant long-term effects, since at a young age, the brain is still developing (still getting its "wiring" straightened out), and the remaining hemisphere can compensate for the loss (assisted by various forms of therapy).

An adult brain, on the other hand, has already formed most of the connections required for normal functioning.  Since there is no longer much development, it is much more difficult for the brain to "re-wire" itself and compensate for the injury.  In an adult, there would be severe damage to their coordination and cognitive abilities.

Normally, removing part of the brain is only done in extreme circumstances, when the patient's life is in danger due to severe injury, a brain tumor, or severe seizures that originate throughout part of the brain.  It is usually only performed as a last resort, and due to the consequences (and the extreme danger of the procedure itself), doctors are understandably even more reluctant to perform the procedure on adults than young children.

Answer 10

Yes, you actually use remarkably little of your brain, and whilst removing part of the brain will result of a loss of function (like the ability to read/control the right side of your body, understand sarcasm etc, you can often, with enough time & effort, re-route these functions through other parts of the brain and get them back.

Answer 11

I don't think so.....if it is possible the person would probably be a vegetable or have severe mental retardation.