Conversations with Neil's Brain: The Neural Nature of Thought and Language

The Neil named in the title, identified as an engineer who became epileptic after fracturing his skull, undergoes brain surgery to remove part of his temporal lobe in the hope of eliminating his seizures. By stimulating his cerebral cortex, doctors map regions that control his memory, movement and his ability to use language. ``Neil'' is actually a composite of several epileptic patients, a device neurophysiologist Calvin and neurosurgeon Ojemann, both at the University of Washington, use to good effect, as they did in their earlier collaboration Inside the Brain. In a model of lucid scientific exposition, they scan recent research on memory, language and learning disabilities to explore links between brain damage and schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorders, sociopathic behavior and depression. Illustrating their points with far-ranging examples, the authors cite, among others, Virginia Woolf who, in her manic episodes, would talk almost without stopping for two or three days, and Woodrow Wilson whose strokes paralyzed his left side and gave him ``mild paranoia,'' leaving him unable to argue effectively for the League of Nations. Illustrations. (May)