Bits o' brain

Presents an excerpt describing how areas of the brain responsible for particular functions can be affected by surgery, strokes or injuries, and questions where, then, is the self? From 'The 3-Pound Universe.'

By Judith Hooper, published on September 01, 1994

Find a Therapist

Search for a mental health professional near you.

Find Local:

'Memory, which the ancient Greeks attributed to a muse and Descartesascribed to "animal spirits," depends on particular bits of gray matter. Ditto for language, the recognition of familiar faces, the ability to count and read, and many other higher functions. Wipe out one part of the brain and a person speaks fluent gibberish; remove another and he no longer knows his own brother by sight. Brain surgery, strokes, tumors, and head injuries can turn a person into a nonperson, or so it seems. Where, then, is the self?"