The strange case of Noah, the boy without a brain

This case is an example of how our brain struggles to adapt to unforeseen problems.

Once again, reality once again trumps fiction. When Rob, 50, and Shelly, 44, were told the news that their 12-week-old son would be born with a tremendous physical disability, doctors advised them to prepare for the worst.

Noah, as the couple's baby is called, was born with virtually no brain. From the first X-rays, a fetal developmental anomaly was detected due to a dysfunction between spina bifida and hydrocephalus. The result: the combination of these medical complications had left him with only 2% brain function..

The unusual thing is that despite this significant deficit, Noah has continued to grow and learn, a fact that has led to his being referred to as a "brainless child. a case of a "brainless child". whose physical and intellectual development is progressing in an amazing way.

What is spina bifida and hydrocephalus?

Hydrocephalus is one more symptom of brain malformation, which is directly dependent on spina bifida. This is an excess of cerebrospinal fluid inside the skull. Literally, hydrocephalus means "water on the brain." In Noah's case, the pressure exerted by this substance can cause the brain to form poorly as it has much less room to develop.

On the other hand, spina bifida is a genetic degeneration that affects the malformation of the spinal cord, the brain or even the meninges (the protective layer covering the brain). It is a very common neural tube defect in infants.This is especially true in Western countries, where some couples are willing to conceive children at an advanced age.

Incredible as it may seem and despite the great progress and exponential development of science and research, medical experts have not yet determined the exact causes of spina bifida. still have not determined the exact causes of spina bifida.. In other words, it is a mystery.

Exhaustive studies and research have been carried out to solve the problem, but no one knows what causes the complete closure of the neural tube to be interrupted, causing the aforementioned malformations. Only some scientists have pointed out some environmental, nutritional or even genetic factors to give a solid approximation. The mother's diet during pregnancy, the environmental surroundings or genetic inheritance can play a crucial role in the malformation of the baby's brain.

Why is Noah extraordinary?

"We started organizing and preparing for the burial while I was pregnant," says the mother. Doctors gave him not months or years, but days to live directly after birth, and on several occasions recommended they perform an abortion.

Tests and X-rays showed that Noah's skull contained an excess of fluid, in excess of the normal amount of fluid.above the amount of normal gray matter. To be a little more graphic, the size of the baby's skull was no bigger than a grapefruit.

Nevertheless, the parents went ahead and believed in their son. Even though the doctors gave him no more than three weeks to live, Noah is on his way to his fifth birthdayfrom 2 percent brain capacity to 70 percent.

Not only is he able to walk, begin to talk or play, but his development is also on track.He is not only able to walk, begin to talk or play, but his development is on a more than favorable course, destined to become one more child in the human race. To this day, Noah's case remains a miracle and is the subject of study for health professionals, university theses and other research.

Other cases like Noah's

Although a rare occurrence, Noah is not the only remarkable case. Michelle Mack, in her early 40s, was born with half a brain.. The most curious thing is that her anomaly was not detected until she turned 27, having led a very normal life and having graduated from university.

More surreal and incredible is another case detected in the United Kingdom. An anonymous student at the University of Sheffield went to the doctor for a severe headache. The doctor noticed that his head was slightly above normal size for his age. He decided to investigate further and took an X-ray. The result was surprising: he had so much fluid in his head that it had virtually obliterated his entire brain. But here comes the most extraordinary part. The student in question is a gifted person, with an IQ of around 140 and a graduate in Mathematics with honors grades.

How do you explain the case of the brainless child?

Of course, statistics say that mortality among people with an abnormally underdeveloped brain is much higher than average, and babies born with these kinds of severe neurodevelopmental problems often die before they reach adolescence. So... How can Noah's case be explained, and how could he survive with hardly any brain? The answer is something known as brain plasticity.

This phenomenon consists of our brain's ability to physically adapt to situations, developing in a way that allows it to survive. The key here is not so much in the number of neurons, but in how they are organized among themselves. Thus, plasticity can be understood as a kind of computer program that learns in real time to cope with totally new problems. to cope with totally new problems for which it has not technically been programmed (in this case, a combination of diseases). Does this sound familiar to you? It is the same principle as intelligence, but on a neurological level.

Thus, Noah's case is yet another example of the extent to which the human body is able to use its resources to stay afloat, even when the available means are less than expected, and how it "builds" a healthy organism from there.