Recently, Patient Services had the pleasure of talking with Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor. Dr. Taylor is a Harvard-trained and published neuroanatomist who experienced a severe hemorrhage in the left hemisphere of her brain in 1996. On the afternoon of this rare form of stroke (AVM), she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life. It took eight years for Dr. Jill to completely recover all of her functions and thinking ability. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey (published in 2008 by Viking Penguin).

Dr. Taylor, can one's ability come back after brain injury?
If you are a stroke, TBI, or brain tumor survivor then you have probably heard at least one professional say, “If you don’t have an ability back by six months then you probably won’t get it back.” The problem with a statement like this is first, it’s not true; second, we tend to believe it because it is spoken by our medical authorities, and third, as soon as we believe it then we stop trying to get better.

In the last decade there have been two scientific discoveries that have totally rocked the foundation of what we know to be true about the nervous system and its ability to recover.

1. We used to believe and teach our physicians that the brain cells you are born with are the brain cells you will die with. It was our basic understanding that we don’t grow any new neurons. What this means of course, is that if you experience a trauma to cells in your brain that performed a specific function, then you would lose that function forever. We now know that under certain circumstances, some new neurons can grow and take over lost function. This single piece of information about the way the nervous system works has had a profound impact on our perceptions of the ability of the nervous system to recover.

2. In addition to our ability to grow new strategically placed neurons in response to trauma or tumor, “neuroplasticity” has become a buzz word of the last decade. We used to believe that the neurons in our brains would wire themselves when we were born and by the age of three our neurological network was essentially established. We now know that our neurons are in a constant state of change and although the major circuits are established when we are young, the smaller connections between our neurons is under constant change and repair. What this means is that our brain cells have some capacity to rewire a function. This is why so many of us see gradual improvement over time in our ability to do something better.

Do neural connections change over time?
Regardless of the condition of our brain or the length of time since our trauma (and brain surgery fits into this category), our neuronal connections are constantly changing. As a result it does not matter if your trauma was yesterday or ten years ago, your brain cells are interested in giving you what you want from them and in my mind, they are wired towards recovery.

What can we do to help our brains get better after injury?
First, remember that although we are in a hurry to have positive change happen, our neurons are not in a hurry and the more patient and consistent we are with them then the more likely they will respond. Second, sleep is the way our brain shuts down new stimulation coming in. It’s a good thing, we should not be afraid to take naps to replenish our energetic reserves. Third, it’s really important to break tasks down into simple steps. It’s impossible to sit up until we learn to rock our bodies and then learn to roll our bodies upright.

For more recommendations for neurological recovery, I hope you will explore My Stroke of Insight. Although the topic is hemorrhagic stroke, there’s a lot of material in there that applies to any type of neurological recovery. I wish you all the very best along your journey.

Thank you Dr. Bolte Taylor.

Jill de Bartok
Program Manager, Patient Services