The Effects of Split Brain Surgery

Split brain surgery (corpus callosotomy) is a procedure used to treat severe cases of epilepsy. It involves cutting the corpus callosum, a nerve bundle connecting the two hemispheres of the brain serving to transmit electrical signals between them. The effects of this procedure are discussed below.

Signal Inhibition

• The split brain surgery inhibits or reduces transmission of abnormal electrical signals between the hemispheres of the brain.

Fewer Seizures

• The surgery significantly reduces the number and severity of seizures experienced by epilepsy sufferers.

Language

• Research conducted on split brain patients by Roger W. Sperry indicates that the left hemisphere handles the bulk of language processing, but that the right hemisphere does have some limited language capacity.

Visual Processing

• The same Sperry research also indicated that the right hemisphere handles the bulk of visual and spatial information.

Everyday Behavior

• The split brain procedure is largely held to have a minimal impact on everyday behaviors and interactions.