The strange case of Noah, the boy without a brain

Once again, reality surpasses 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 told them to prepare for the worst.

Noah, as the couple's baby is called, was born with virtually no brain. From the first radiographs, an anomaly of fetal development was detected due to a dysfunction between spina bifida and hydrocephalus. The result: the combination of those medical complications he had been left with only 2% brain function.

The unusual thing is that despite this very important deficit, Noah has continued to grow and learn, a fact that has caused his to be known as a case of "kid with no brain" whose physical and intellectual development progresses amazingly.

• Related article: "The unusual case of a woman without a cerebellum that has surprised the scientific community"

What is spina bifida and hydrocephalus?

The hydrocephalus it is one more symptom of the poor formation of the brain, which directly depends 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 not form well, having much less space 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 that covers the brain). Is a very common neural tube defect in babies, especially in Western countries, where some couples agree 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 the exact causes of spina bifida remain undetermined. In other words, it's all a mystery.

Extensive studies and research have been done to solve the problem, but no one knows what it is which causes the complete closure of the neural tube to be interrupted, causing malformations already mentioned. Only a few scientists have pointed out some environmental, nutritional or even genetic factors to give a solid approximation. The mother's diet during pregnancy, the environment or heredity can play a crucial role in the malformation of the baby's brain.

• Related article: "How to take care of yourself during the first month of pregnancy: 9 tips"

Why is Noah extraordinary?

"We started to organize and prepare the funeral while she was pregnant," says the mother. Doctors gave her not months or years, but days to live directly after birth, and on several occasions recommended an abortion.

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

However, the parents went ahead and believed in his son. Despite the fact that the doctors did not give him more than three weeks to live, Noah is on his way to turning 5, going from a brain capacity of 2 to 70 percent.

He is not only able to walk, start talking or play, but also his development follows a more than favorable course, destined to become one more child within humanity. To this day, Noah's case remains a miracle and is the subject of study by health professionals, university theses and other research.

Other cases like Noah's

Although it supposes an unusual fact, Noah is not the only remarkable case. Michelle Mack, in her 40s, was born with half a brain. The most curious thing is that his anomaly was not detected until he was 27, having led a most normal life and being a university graduate.

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 strong headache. The doctor noted that his head was slightly larger than normal for his age. He decided to investigate further and did an x-ray. The result was surprising: he had so much liquid in his head that it had practically erased his entire brain. But here comes the most extraordinary. the student in question is a gifted person, with an IQ close to 140 and a bachelor's degree in Mathematics with honors.

How do you explain the case of the child without a brain?

Of course, the statistics say that mortality among people with abnormally underdeveloped brains is much higher. higher than average, and babies born with these kinds of serious neurodevelopmental problems often die before they reach adolescence. Then... How do you explain Noah's case? How has he been able to survive with hardly any brain? The answer is something known as brain plasticity.

This phenomenon consists of the ability of our brain to physically adapt to situations, developing in a way that allows us to survive. Here the key 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 deal with totally new problems for which it has not technically been programmed (in this case, a combination of diseases). You sound familiar? It is the same principle as intelligence, but on a neurological level.

Thus, Noah's case is one more example of the extent to which the human body is capable of using its resources to keep up with float, even when the means available are less than expected, and how it "builds" a healthy organism from there.

• Related article: "Brain plasticity (or neuroplasticity): what is it?"