How much damage can the brain take and still function normally? In a new paper, A Lesion-Proof Brain?, Argentinian researchers Adolfo M. García et al. describe the striking case of a woman who shows no apparent deficits despite widespread brain damage. The patient, "CG", is 44 years old and was previously healthy until a series of strokes lesioned large parts of her brain, as shown below.
García et al. say that the damage included "extensive compromise of the right fronto-temporo-parietal cortices, left Sylvian and striatal regions, and bilateral portions of the insula and the amygdala". Despite this, CG's cognitive function was almost completely unaffected. She tested in the normal range on executive function, memory, and emotion recognition tasks. Her only deficit was an reduced sense of smell. In terms of daily activities, CG is unimpaired, although she does have a tendency to be overly open:
She has intact motor skills: ...
