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In 2007, a man visited a French hospital, complaining of a weak leg. Dr. Lionel Feuillet ordered both a CT scan and an MRI. The 44-year-old father appeared otherwise healthy. But when the results arrived, Feuillet was stunned: The man had no brain.
Or at least, that’s how it appeared. The truth was, the man had hydrocephalus, a mysterious condition where cerebrospinal fluid fills the brain’s chambers and compresses the brain tissue against the skull. In 1980, neurologist John Lorber documented a similar case of a patient with a remarkable mathematical aptitude, an IQ of 126, and ‘virtually no brain.’ His brain was extremely thin—up to 75 percent smaller than usual.
Lorber examined more than 600 such patients. While many faced challenges, others had IQs exceeding 100. This highlights the brain’s incredible ability to adapt to gradual injuries. In other words, gray matter does indeed matter.
See Also: The Surprising Benefits of Removing Half of a Person's Brain
