Woman found functioning without a cerebellum in her brain

Doctors have discovered that somehow, a woman living in China has reached the age of 24 while missing a large part of her brain. They say this is evidence of how incredibly adaptable our brains can be.

Images: Left: Feng Yu et al. Right: decade3d/Shutterstock

When a woman checked herself into the PLA General Hospital in China’s Shandong Province, she reported symptoms of dizziness and nausea. She’d had a shaky walk for most of her life, and unlike most people, who learn to walk when they’re very young infants, she was only able to master this skill at seven years old. She was also only able to speak properly from the age of six.

According to Helen Thomson at New Scientist, once the doctors performed a CAT scan – which combines information from several X-rays to produce a comprehensive image of structures inside the brain – the source problem was immediately made clear. The woman’s entire cerebellum was missing, and in its place was nothing but cerebrospinal fluid, which is a special substance that protects the brain from damaging knocks and disease.