Question

In the 1950s, in a desperate attempt to treat severe epilepsy, the patient known as "HM" underwent a surgical procedure in which portions of his brain were removed. The critical area of damage was to the:

a) Hippocampus
b) Cerebellum
c) Prefrontal cortex
d) Corpus callosum

Answer 1

The critical area of damage in the surgical procedure undergone by the patient known as 'HM' in the 1950s was the corpus callosum, which plays a crucial role in facilitating communication between the two hemispheres of the brain.

Step-by-step explanation:

The critical area of damage in the surgical procedure undergone by the patient known as "HM" in the 1950s was the corpus callosum.

In other surgeries to treat severe epilepsy, the corpus callosum is cut instead of removing an entire hemisphere. This causes a condition called split-brain, which gives insights into unique functions of the two hemispheres. For example, when an object is presented to patients' left visual field, they may be unable to verbally name the object as the visual input from the left visual field enters the right hemisphere and cannot signal to the speech center found largely in the left side of the brain.

Split-brain patients can still recognize objects when presented to their left hand controlled by the right hemisphere, but they are unable to verbally identify them. Therefore, the corpus callosum plays a crucial role in facilitating communication between the two hemispheres of the brain.