A missing cerebellum is not an absolute anomaly, however, the finding is quite uncommon. What’s more, eight similar cases have been reported till date. However, most cases involve children and adults who present with large structural abnormalities in their brains with severe mental impairment and epilepsy.
A young woman from China spent 24 years of her life without knowing that she was missing an important part of her brain! The shocking discovery was made when she presented to the doctors with complaint of a month’s history of nausea and vomiting. On taking the patient’s history, it was revealed that wasn’t able to walk till she was 4 years of age. Similarly, she had never been able to walk steadily and experienced dizziness all her life.
When the doctors scanned her brain, they found that she was missing a cerebellum!
CT and MRI scans showed no remnants of any cerebellar tissues which verified the complete absence of the cerebellum. The cerebellum is an important part of the brain responsible for coordination and fine movements. Functions also include movements of the mouth and tongue for producing speech. People with a damaged cerebellum often experience difficulties with speech. However, contrary to the expectations of doctors, the Chinese woman only struggles with slurred pronunciations.
According to Dr. Raj Narayan, chair of neurosurgery at North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York:
However, this remarkable ability of our brain declines with age.
References
Extraordinary Brain: Woman’s Missing Cerebellum Went Unnoticed for 24 Years https://www.livescience.com/47802-missing-crucial-brain-part-went-unnoticed.html