"A Women Perpetually Falling..."

This article was all about Cheryl Schiltz, a woman who feels like she is perpetually falling. She feels this way because of the vestibular apparatus, which is essentially the balance system, is no longer working. Following an incorrect dosage of gentamicin, Cheryl has lost her balance. "Now that her vestibular system is damaged, Cheryl has as much chance of regaining her balance as a person whose retina has been damaged". Despite all odds, Cheryl was able to regain her balance by using a device called an accelerometer to retrain her brain to balance. This device works by sending balance signals to her brain from her tongue. Eventually, the residual effect of the device could last for months at a time. I found the quote above very interesting because it shows just how small the chances were of recovery, but due to the brain's adaptability, Cheryl was able to make a full recovery. 

Later in the article, it talked about localization and how each of our senses has a receptor cell that specializes in detecting each of these senses. However, Paul Bach-y-Rita rejected these claims saying that "Our senses have an unexpectedly plastic nature, he discovered, and if one is damaged, another can sometimes take over for it, a process he calls 'sensory substitution'". This quote reminded me much of the "Women With a Hole in Her Brain" assignment. In that homework assignment, I learned that many parts of the brain can actually be absent and other parts of the brain will compensate. 

Another quote that I found especially interesting was "When Cheryl's brain developed a renewed vestibular sense... these changes were not the mysterious exception to the rule but the rule: the sensory cortex is plastic and adaptable". I believe this quote brought the article together nicely. It states that the rule is that the "sensory cortex is plastic and adaptable". I also believe that this quote also relates very nicely when talking about other parts of the body. Experiments talked about throughout this article have shown almost complete recovery from a man who suffered a life-threatening stroke and people who have been blind since birth that are now able to make out faces and see different shapes. 

Overall I found this article to be extremely interesting. The fact that the human body is so adaptable is amazing.