The human brain has the ability to constantly form new networks and connections between brain cells. This means the brain has an almost magical ability to change. This characteristic is 26 apparent in a new study, focusing on people who underwent a hemispherectomy, a surgical procedure in which half of the brain is removed to treat illness.
The findings showed that, despite missing half of this critical 27 , participants could function well. This was because the 28 half of their brain strengthened. In fact, researchers found that connections—and thus communication—between parts of different brain networks are actually stronger in people who had hemispherectomies than in people with intact brains. This 29 that the brain is able to compensate for loss of certain brain structure.
There are many other cases in the medical 30 that document the brain’s amazing ability to 31 . For example, a young boy had a significant portion of his brain removed for medical reasons, which included the part of the brain 32 for sight. But a few years after his surgery, scientists found that he could 33 see. They determined that this was because other parts of his brain took over the missing part’s 34 tasks. Another study involved people who could smell, despite missing the region in the brain that processes information about smells. Though they are not sure how these individuals 35 the ability to smell, scientists believe it is possible that another part of the brain took on that task.
A) adapt B) hardly C) indicates D) insist E) literature F) organ G) particularly H) remaining I) responsible J) retained K) still L) strategy M) transformed N) underlines O) visual
