Huge air bubble discovered in otherwise healthy dude's head

[SeamusBellamy]

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/03/14/huge-air-bubble-discovered-in.html

…

[jtiii]

Whenever the man coughed or sneezed, a smidgen of pressurized air was forced into the brain cavity.

Whaa? How on earth is there no infection?

[Cunk]

Good thing this occurred to him late in his life otherwise he would have had to deal with a lifetime of airhead jokes.

[anotherone]

Yikes! Reminds me of this story about a man living with only 10% of a brain.

Scientific mystery: Man living with 90% of his brain missing

[vonbobo]

So he’s not missing brain, the brain is just squished.

[hecep]

“The man continues to live a normal life, being a family man with a wife and kids, while working as a civil servant.”

So, could one conclude that a person could function as a civil servant with only 10% of a brain?

[RHD]

Did they poke a needle in to let the air out?

[armozel]

Well this gives a whole new meaning to air head.

[Boundegar]

I’ll bet he could hide some money in there, where muggers could never find it. Or even his house key!

[Glaurung]

@SeamusBellamy

a seemingly healthy fella was found to have a 3.5" air bubble in his skull where a good chunk of his grey matter should be and he was still walking around, eating sandwiches and everything.

Don’t be so surprised. We don’t actually need all of our cranial capacity in order to be sapient; it’s entirely possible to live a normal life as a sapient human being with a large percentage of your skull filled with something other than brains.

Back in college I had a friend who had hydrocephaly - most of her head was full of fluid. She was still smart as a whip.

[hecep]

@Glaurung

Back in college I had a friend who had hydrocephaly - most of her head was full of fluid. She was still smart as a whip.

Was it possible that what brain she did (does) have is normal in mass but merely compressed and therefore having a higher density?

[Glaurung]

Brain tissue doesn’t work that way. You compress a cell, you get dead cells. What happens in cases like this is that you have a sapient person functioning on far less cc’s of brain matter than most other people.

Proof, if any was needed, that the obsession 19th century racists had with measuring heads and cranial capacities was all complete nonsense. Our intelligence and sapience is not a function of cc’s of brain matter, they’re a function of how our brains are built.

[beep54orama]

So…never, ever try to block a sneeze? Mom was right??

[DukeTrout]

@beep54orama

So…never, ever try to block a sneeze? Mom was right??

Suppressing sneezes does kill brain cells…but fewer than a glass of wine. So go for it.

[hecep]

@Glaurung

Brain tissue doesn’t work that way. You compress a cell, you get dead cells. What happens in cases like this is that you have a sapient person functioning on far less cc’s of brain matter than most other people.

Proof, if any was needed, that the obsession 19th century racists had with measuring heads and cranial capacities was all complete nonsense. Our intelligence and sapience is not a function of cc’s of brain matter, they’re a function of how our brains are built.

I hear what you’re saying, but I was talking about density (weight/cc), not volume (cc). In any case, here’s an interesting article (obviously not comprehensive) on hydrocephaly and intelligence:

Remarkable story of maths genius who had almost no brain

Final point in the article: I certainly cannot explain Lorber’s observations, except to note that in some cases the brain shows itself to be amazingly adaptable and capable of servicing the body in a manner equivalent to the familiar “normal” brain, even though its volume and structure is remarkably compressed and distorted.

[PsiPhiGrrrl]

Better to let it out, don’t end up like this poor guy:

A British Man Suffered Throat Damage by Holding In a Sneeze

[roomwithaview]

@hecep

Was it possible that what brain she did (does) have is normal in mass but merely compressed and therefore having a higher density?

I recall reading that tissue samples taken after Einstein’s death revealed that while his brain was within the norms for size and weight, it had a much higher level of interconnectivity between the hemispheres. (I remember higher neuronal density as well but this article doesn’t mention it. IANABS)

Einstein’s brain a wonder of connectedness

[hecep]

@roomwithaview

I recall reading that tissue samples taken after Einstein’s death revealed that while his brain was within the norms for size and weight, it had a much higher level of interconnectivity between the hemispheres. (I remember higher neuronal density as well but this article doesn’t mention it.

To think, with a larger corpus callosum, he would have grasped, understood, and accepted Quantum Theory!

[roomwithaview]

@hecep

To think, with a larger corpus callosum, he would have grasped, understood, and accepted Quantum Theory!

Is it wrong to say I’m excited to see the results of examining Hawking’s brain?

[mike.jane]

So all that’s needed is to install a (possibly comically large) valve on the side of the man’s head, so that he can release the pressure by opening the valve (possibly with a large monkey wrench) maybe once a week, or after a sneezing fit.