Chapter 1. Scientific American Psychology: Christina in Her Own Words

1. Christina’s brain surgery involved the removal of her right cerebral hemisphere. Without doubt, this resulted in drastic changes to her nervous system. Researchers in the field of _____ would be interested in studying how the loss of brain tissue impacted her speech, emotions, and a variety of other activities.

2. Although Christina had a hemispherectomy, her nervous system still contained billions of neurons, the specialized cells that communicate with each other through both electrical and chemical signals. These neurons contain three basic parts, including:

3. Immediately after her surgery, Christina remembers hearing her mother’s voice saying, “Christina if you can hear me, squeeze my hand.” Christina was able to squeeze her mother’s hand. Which of the following neurotransmitters was directly involved in Christina’s ability to move the muscles in her hand?

4. Christina’s surgery resulted in the right side of her brain being “taken out”. She reports that the whole left side of her body was affected, and when she walks, her gait is compromised. Although Christina has partial paralysis on the left side of her body, it is likely that she would experience a reflex if a doctor tapped on her left knee, because the knee jerk response is an involuntary reaction carried out by:

5. Christina was in surgery for 17 hours. During the time she was under anesthesia, her surgeon was focusing on the complicated procedures of a hemispherectomy. Thanks to his _____, he did not have to focus on processes like his heart pumping, blood vessels contracting, or digestion.

6. One of the first indications of Christina’s illness were small twitches and tremors in her left ankle. In fact, all of her seizures affected the left side of her body. Following the removal of her right hemisphere, Christina’s gait was compromised due to partial paralysis on the left side of her body. Together, these findings support the general notion that the right hemisphere:

7. Christina’s surgery resulted in the loss of her right hemisphere, yet she was still able to speak and comprehend language following her surgery. Given that her speech was not impacted, which two areas of her brain were likely left unharmed by the surgery?

8. We are in awe of Christina’s recovery and her accomplishments in school. Certainly Christina’s tenacity and the support of her family, friends, and medical professionals all contributed to her remarkable achievements. However, without _____, Christina’s brain would not have been able to heal, grow new connections, and reorganize following her surgery.