Can You Live With Half a Brain?

Not in the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde sense. Neither are we all paranoid schizophrenics. I mean that we are all basically “two thinking beings” taking up space in the same body. In other words, we have one brain, with different halves, functioning independently, at the same time.   

Our brain, like the other parts of our body, is constructed of two halves. A right arm, and a left arm, a right eye, and a left eye, a left-brain and a right-brain. There’s a large crease that goes from the front to the back of our brain, fundamentally dividing it into two separate and distinct parts. They are more or less separate, but they are attached to each other via a dense cord of nerves at the foot of each brain. This single link amid the two huge “computer like entities” is called the corpus-collosum. I mentioned computers, so think of it this way. The corpus-collosum is the Ethernet cable connection between two unbelievably high-speed and vastly commanding computer processors, each running their own program from the same input. Nature pulled a doozy. This crossover “technology” applied to the brain even affects our eyes, which develops most of their sensory data on reverse sides of the brain. In depth research revealed that each side of the brain has their own means of interpreting the world and reacting to it.              

LEFT BRAIN-RIGHT BRAIN THEORY

Many people link the right brain with creativity and lateral thinking; I think there’s something to that. Our left brain creates formations that can perform as blockades to alternative solutions and perspectives. However, your left brain functions as part in the creativity role as well. Observing logical relations between ostensibly unrelated things is a characteristic of creativity. Moreover, the vital thinking skills required to differentiate a good idea from a bad one is crucial as well.         

According to the theory of left-brain and right-brain dominance, both sides of the brain control various types of thinking. Moreover, people are believed to favor one type of thinking over the other. For instance, a left-brained individual is believed to be more objective and analytical, a right-brained person is said to be more creative and subjective.

Psychology has a theory based on what is called the “lateralization of brain function.” Does one side of the brain truly control particular functions? Are individuals either left-brained or right-brained? I would think that “both brains” are necessary and it makes perfect sense. Why? I’m going to use my “left-brain” to answer that. It’s because the connecting cord, the corpus-collosum, links the “two brains” together for legitimate reasons and the proof comes from the following research.

THEY NEED EACH OTHER!

The right-left brain theory came from the work of Roger W. Sperry, a Nobel Peace Price winner in 1981. Upon researching the effects of epilepsy, Sperry discovered that snipping the corpus-collosum could decrease or eradicate seizures. Yet, patients incurred additional symptoms following the cutting of the cord that connected the left and right halves of the brain together. For instance, numerous split-brain patients were unable to identify objects that were processed by the right-brain, but were capable of naming objects processed by the left-brain. From this information, Sperry realized that language was controlled by the left-brain. Later on, studies showed that the brain is not actually as divided as once believed. For example, research proves that aptitudes in areas like math are actually keener when the left and right brain work together.   

LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS

The left-brain is considered skillful at undertakings dealing with logic, analytical thinking, and language. The left-brain: 

uses logic
detail oriented
facts rule
words and language
present and past
math and science
can comprehend
knowing
acknowledges
order/pattern perception
knows object name
reality based
forms strategies
practical
safe


RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS

The right-brain is better at expressiveness, imagination, and creative tasks. The right-brain:

uses feeling
“big picture” oriented
imagination rules
symbols and images
present and future
philosophy & religion
can “get it” (i.e. meaning)
believes
appreciates
spatial perception
knows object function
fantasy based
presents possibilities
impetuous
risk taking

In the final analysis, our body parts need each other in some way. The left and right brain work together to cognize the world around us. I believe by understanding your strengths and weaknesses in specific areas, you develop better means of learning, studying, and creating. So get to work and get your left and right brain synchronized!  

Author

Gary Starkman Dr. Starkman, a top Neurologist in NYC, is the Medical Director and founder of New York Neurology Associates. He is Board Certified in Neurology with a subspecialty certification in Pain Medicine.