VitalityHouse Health Articles

Brain Tissue Regeneration and Rewiring

The exciting story of Terry Wallis, who was involved in a car accident when he was 19 and now woken up after spending 19 years in a vegetative stats has shaken the medical community and bring new hope of coma victims everywhere.

Three years ago, Mr Wallis uttered his first word, “Mom”, and has shown continual, although limited, improvement.

Since speaking his first words, Wallis’s speech has improved and he has regained some movement in his legs, but his short-term memory is very poor and he does not understand what has happened to him.

A US and New Zealand team of researchers scanned his brain using a technique called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to try and understand his recovery. 

Using this method, the scientists were able to look at Mr Wallis’s brain and to see any damage or reorganisation of his white matter.

White matter is the part of the brain that contains nerve fibres wrapped in an insulating fatty substance, called myelin. It is responsible for transmitting information in the brain, whereas grey matter processes it.

The researchers believe the most likely explanation is that axons, the long thin connections that make links between different brain cells, have re-grown.

3 Arm Baby in China Undergoes Surgery

Last month, it took a medical team led by Dr. Chen, 3 hours to perform an operation to remove the inner left arm.  At first there was much debate about which arm would be removed because both left arms were so fully developed but it became obvious that the inner arm would be the most likely candidate for removal.

It appears early reports that the left arms were not functional was untrue and even though both left arms were functional it was decided removal of one would be best long-term.

There have sure been many times in my life a third arm would have come in “handy”…but I do agree the social stigma would be potentially damaging.