Thank you for your response.
Both my wife and I have come to the same findings in our various readings.
As he porgress I will occassionally post updates under NICHOLAS UPDATE.
Any other constructive comments would be greatly appreciated as both my wife
and I have Engineering backgrounds and little medical training.
Guenther
To send us an email and check out the address and remove whats not required.
TONYJEFFS wrote in message <19981107034059.10851.00000168 at ngol08.aol.com>...
>>I'm a second year Biology BSc student, so I'm certainly no expert...Part
time,
>too, so not for many years yet! So please don't take my comments as
>authouritative.
>>>I understand that to an extent it is possible during prenatal, and early
>postnatal development for the brain to 're-allocate' functions to different
>parts of the cortex if the more usual part is damaged. The brain is still
fine
>wiring many of its connections in the early days and even years of life.
(eg It
>takes several years for all of the 'visual' connections to be made) So if
a
>part of, say, the motor cortex is damaged at birth - let us say for
example
>the part that usually controls right hand movement is injured - the
developing
>neonatal brain has a capacity to re-allocate that function to a different
part
>of the brain, probably by cramming up the rest of the motor functions into
a
>slightly smaller space so that there is room for the 'hand' circuitry.
>>Something comparable happens in later life. If you lose hearing in a
certain
>frequency range, the brain re-allocates the now redundant 'hearing' cells
in
>the auditory cortex so that they can 'listen to' other nearbye frequencies.
>>Another example: Speech is enabled in part by Broca's area, a region that
for
>most people resides on the left side of the brain. (A few people have it
on
>the right). If there is very early damage to the site on the left side of
the
>brain, it is believed that the speech function will develop in the
>Broca-equivalent area on the left.
>ie Damage to that area at a very early age doesn't prevent speech
develpment.
>>In conclusion, I think it is possible that since the damage was detected at
>such an early stage, it is quite possible that at least some of it will be
>surmounted and overcome during the 'set up' process that is still taking
place
>in the fine-wiring of your son's brain.
>>All the best
>I hope everything works out well.
>>Tony
