Corpus Callosum

Has anybody every called you a "right brained person" or a "left brained thinker"?  We all know that we don't actually have two different brains, however you probably also know that the two different hemispheres of our brain function very differently. 

The corpus callosum is a flat bundle of millions of neural fibers that span between the right hemisphere and the left hemisphere of our brain.  It facilitates communication between the two halves and it is one of the most important elements of the human brain.  It essentially allows form and function to exist in our minds at the same time.  

Lets recap: Left brain controls rational thought, math, reading, strategy, linear analytic thought.  Right brain controls creativity, your "free spirit", passion, sensuality like taste, smell, touch, pleasure, and the urge to paint on an empty canvas.

Nearly all people have qualities of both, but many people find they lean more toward one of these two sides.  I'm a right brained person, whereas my wife is a left brained person ... it makes for interesting dynamic. ;-)

Here are a couple images to help you understand what the corpus callosum looks like:

So the big question is, "what would we do without the corpus callosum?"  The reason that we need this mass of white matter in our brain is to keep a balance in our personality.  We would spiral out of control and start to piss everybody off because we wouldn't be able to communicate rationally or logically while keeping our emotions intact.  

Phineas Gage is the first known person to experience the effects of not having a corpus callosum.  Mr. Gage was a railroad construction foreman who was the subject of much analysis after a large iron rod was driven completely through his head due to an accidental explosion.  Here is an image of how the rod traveled through his brain:

I know what you're thinking ... don't people die when they get shot in the head, much less a giant spear through the brain?  Well, in Phiny's case, he was lucky that the rod missed all vital organs and hemispheres but it severed the corpus callosum (white matter) on its way out, essentially separating the two hemispheres of his brain!  

Here's a picture of Mr. Gage during his 12 year survival after the accident:

Here is a description of the part of the brain impacted by the accident.

Phineas' accident severed a specific part of the corpus callosum that didn't allow the emotional part of his brain to communicate properly with the logical part of his brain, thus resulting in the first "split brain" concepts.  While his corpus callosum was not the only thing damaged in the accident, this led researchers to begin to understand how the different parts of the brain work together to keep a human balanced and sane.  

Here's a video that explains it more specifically and gives a dramatization of the changes that occured in Mr. Gage's personality as a result of the accident.

The result:

We understand better how the brain communicates with the various geographical areas of itself.  We also understand how important this communication is.  Without a proper balance in our brains, we couldn't create thoughtful design.  We need the corpus callosum to bring logic and reason to our creativity and imagination.  This is why the corpus callosum is so important.  

Corpus callosum is the conduit of thoughtful design.