The Mystery of the Missed Connection (preview)

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A common but little understood malformation reveals the brain's incredible plasticity

By Claudia Christine Wolf

A healthy corpus callosum (shown here) consists of about 200 million nerve fibers. This pathway carries most of the communications between the brain's hemispheres.

Image: COURTESY OF SUDHIR PATHAK Walter Schneider Lab, LRDC, University of Pittsburgh

In Brief

Neural Highways

• A malformed corpus callosum, the massive connective bridge that carries most messages traveling between the two hemispheres, can lead to a range of cognitive deficits.
• Early in life the brain can rewire itself to compensate for the absence of this critical structure, revealing the organ's innate plasticity.
• In addition to complicating verbal and motor activities, a malformed corpus callosum may also play a role in disorders such as autism and schizophrenia.

Sarah Mellnik was four years old when her doctors discovered the striking anomaly in her brain. She was missing the massive connective bridge that ordinarily unites the brain's two hemispheres. This malformation can delay the development of verbal and motor skills, among other abilities. Today, however, Mellnik is a gregarious and active 29-year-old. She not only walks, she volunteers as an assistant dance teacher.

These milestones did not come easily. In high school she endured other students' taunts, disbelieving teachers and difficulties with class work. In spite of her struggles, Mellnik earned her high school diploma in 2000. Her mantra, which she repeats to herself and others like her, is ?Never give up.?

This article was originally published with the title The Mystery of the Missed Connection.

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