Surgical Split-Brain

Split brain surgery, called commissurotomy, is performed on patients that suffer from epilepsy and do not respond to drug therapy. The corpus callosum is severed during this surgery. The idea behind this separation of hemispheres is that the seizure cannot spread from one hemisphere to the other if the callosum is severed. The hope was that if the spread was reduced, then the brain activity patterns associated with seizures would be interrupted, and the seizures would be reduced as a result.

Even though there didn’t seem to be any major adverse effects from the surgery, there were still some side effects associated with it. The side effects that were observed in these patients shortly after the split brain surgery are labeled post-commissurotomy syndrome. This syndrome is only temporary and it is thought to take place until the two brain hemispheres learn to function together to control one body. In this syndrome the left hand and foot, which are connected to and operated by the right brain, act separately from the left brain and the conscious intentions of the person. It is suggested that these people have two separate relatively intact minds controlling one body. As well, there are new surgical advances that help prevent this post-commissurotomy syndrome.

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