On 27 May 1999 10:52:32 -0400, Bill Skaggs <skaggs at bns.pitt.edu>
wrote:
>If nothing else, the mechanisms that control>arousal and alertness
>run through the thalamus, and damage to certain
>parts of the thalamus can lead to coma or a quasi-somnolent state.
>But I expect if her problem were of this sort, you would have noticed
>signs of it.
>She has normal levels of alertness and normal sleep patterns.
>In a different direction, the microcephaly you describe suggests
>damage extending beyond the thalamus. The thalamus is a relatively
>small structure, and damage to it alone ought not to noticeably
>decrease the size of the brain. It may be, though, that damage to the
>thalamus has induced changes in the neocortex. We know that the sort
>of experiences an animal (or presumably human) has, determines the
>thickness of the neocortex.
At the moment, I think that may well be what has occurred. Which leads
me to speculate thus: *If* you could repair damaged pathways through
the thalamus, or encourage the brain to reroute them, could the
increased sensory/information interchange lead to accelerated growth
and/or development of the cerebral cortex and a correspondingly
improved intellectual function? Would it be different for an adult?
>>Does your daughter have noticeable memory deficits, along with her
>other problems?
She has a good memory, as far as I can tell. Examples: she can easily
remember faces, songs, places, routes and promises of anything that
will please her. She recalls interesting experiences at school and
tries hard to tell us about them. However, she cannot easily follow a
long series of instructions (go and do this, then this, then ...).
Dave L