One of the most mysterious places in our universe is our body. Each of us has an incredible array of intricate mysteries that medicine has not yet been able to understand. It's just that when we think we already know everything, there is bound to be some new confusing puzzle.
There is one unusual phenomenon that defies everything that is known about the human body - the existence of people who came into this world without any hint of a brain. In addition, some of them not only managed to survive, but also live for years and even be normal members of society. Although the brain is one of the most mysterious areas of our body, the stories of these people living without a brain show how little we really know about the mysteries of the human body.
The most famous and really very strange is the story of the little Scotsman Aaron Murray from Lanarkshire, who was born in 2013 with hydranencephaly, a rare congenital brain abnormality in which the cerebral hemispheres are completely absent or only partially developed. Typically, babies with this condition die before birth or, at best, a few minutes or hours after they enter the world.
The same diagnosis was made to Aaron, and the doctors said that his disease was "incompatible with life." The boy was born with only the base of the brain, and the rest of it was completely missing. After scanning Aaron's brain, the doctor on duty said:
“In a conventional scan, you can see that the brain fills the entire cranial cavity. It is a white area with pockets of dark fluid flowing around the inside and outside of the brain that nourishes and detoxifies it. When Aaron's head was scanned, only the brain stem was visible, and the rest of the skull was filled with fluid."
But minutes passed, then hours, then weeks, and the child was alive and, much to the surprise of the bewildered doctors, breathed on his own and felt good. After 8 weeks of follow-up and surgery that drained fluid from the brain, Aaron was allowed to return home to his family. Then it still seemed to everyone that he would soon die.
But Aaron defied all expectations. He not only survived, but also began to get to know his parents and other people, smiled, laughed, played with his older brother Jack and watched the show on TV. The most impressive moment happened when the boy was two years old and he said the word "Mom". Here's what his mother, Emma Murray, has to say about it:
“The doctors told me that he would live for three minutes, three hours or three days. If it was some other organ that could not grow, they could do something, but they could not give it another brain. From day one, Aaron proved to be a real fighter. The other day I told him "Mom". I clapped my hands and he laughed. He looked at me and said, "Mom." He just repeated what I said. I was shocked and then burst into tears. I couldn't believe it. I was told that my son would only live for a few minutes, and now he said to me "Mom". I didn't even think I would ever hear it."
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Aaron now knows a lot of words like "Hello", demonstrating mysterious cognitive abilities for a child who was supposed to be a complete vegetable and never had to live. With only one base of his brain, Aaron would only be capable of basic survival mechanisms such as breathing and the proper functioning of internal organs, but he has a good understanding of what is happening around him. Nobody expected that with so much brain he would laugh, play with others, open gifts or watch TV … He shouldn't have spoken at all.
“The brain stem is involved in controlling the basic functions necessary for survival. It controls the heart, breathing, swallowing and bowel function. Thanks to this, Aaron was able to survive. But, most notably, the base of the brain does not control our thinking or consciousness. Therefore, it is very unusual that he can smile, laugh and say "Mom" - said the doctor Jill Yaz. "In 20 years of practice, I have never seen anything like it."
Although Aaron Murray cannot stand or walk, he turns out to be a real miracle. Another equally amazing incident occurred in the town of Tavars, Florida. Jackson Bruell was born with a defect called anencephaly, a hollow or partial absence of two cerebral hemispheres and bones of the cranial vault. Jackson only has a brain stem, while the cerebellum and most of its skull are missing. The defect was discovered early in the pregnancy, but the Bruelles decided to go through with it, although doctors insisted that the child would not live to the end of the term.
When Jackson entered this world on August 17, 2014, doctors expected him to die immediately, but he not only survived. Like Aaron Murray, Jackson recognizes those around him, says "mom" and "dad", and most recently he told his mom: "I love you."
“Every doctor we've talked to is shocked that Jackson is with us now,” said Brandon Bruelle, Jackson's father. - They can no longer predict anything. We know the reality behind this better than anyone else. Jackson has survived against all odds, and his life is a miracle. He smiles at us, and is always so happy when he wakes up in the morning and looks at the face of mom and dad in turn. It looks like he is very happy to start a new day."
There are other equally incredible and incomprehensible cases. A girl named Alex Simpson from Omaha, Nebraska lived for over 10 years without a brain, showing remarkable abilities. A boy named Trevor Waltrip from Shreveport, Louisiana, who was born in 2001, lived without a brain for 12 years and died peacefully in his sleep. Despite being blind and unable to speak, Trevor had an emotional connection with family members and got to know everyone he loved.
It may seem that people without a brain are doomed to die at an early age, but there are surprising cases when they reached adulthood. Such a remarkable case was reported in 2007, when a 44-year-old Frenchman, who went to the hospital complaining of weak legs, surprised everyone, including himself. His brain was found to be quite small, and the rest of his skull was filled with fluid. However, the man lived a normal life, had a steady job, wife and children, and although he had a fairly low IQ of 75, he was not considered mentally retarded. He didn't even know that there was something wrong with him.
A psychologist at the University of Brussels named Axel Klirmans believes that this person challenged the traditional understanding of the brain: "How can you explain why such a person who lacks 90 percent of his neurons displays normal behavior?"
This is not the only adult living without a brain. In 2014, a 24-year-old Chinese woman presented to Shandong Province Hospital with dizziness and nausea. The woman reported that it was always difficult for her to walk and that she only started talking at the age of 6. This prompted doctors to scan the woman's brain. What they found stunned them.
The place where her cerebellum should be was filled with fluid. The cerebellum, called the "little brain," contains about 50 percent of the neurons in the brain and is responsible for coordination, balance, motor skills, involuntary movements, and various cognitive functions. The cerebellum is an integral part of the brain, and the fact that this woman is doing without it is more than amazing. The only thing that distinguishes her from a healthy person is slightly slurred speech. This is amazing since she didn't have to walk or talk. She shouldn't have survived at all. It is known that only 9 people survived for a significant period of time without the cerebellum. This condition is called cerebellar agenesis and has severe symptoms. But this woman was practically normal.
All of these cases open the door to a whole new world of the possibilities of the human brain. The conventional wisdom is that a person needs a brain to live, and that is what makes us who we are. But these people, devoid of brains, show amazing abilities and awareness of themselves as individuals. Maybe our consciousness is not limited to any part of the brain, but is flexible and adaptable?
Voronina Svetlana