Scientists research man missing 90 percent of his brain, who leads a normal life

A French man has been living a healthy life, despite missing 90 percent of his brain. The man was 44 years old at the time the news came out, and although his identity was kept confidential, the researchers explained how he'd lived most of his life without realising anything was wrong with him.

Described in The Lancet in 2007, he only went to the doctor complaining of mild weakness in his left leg, when brain scans revealed that his skull was mostly filled with fluid, leaving just a thin outer layer of actual brain tissue, with the internal part of his brain almost totally eroded away.

He has a life-long condition known as hydrocephalus, commonly called “water on the brain” or “water head”. It happens when too much cerebrospinal fluid puts pressure on the brain and the brain’s cavities abnormally increase.

According to CBC, Axel Cleeremans, a cognitive psychologist at the Université Libre in Brussels says, “He was living a normal life. He has a family. He works. His IQ was tested at the time of his complaint. This came out to be 84, which is slightly below the normal range … So, this person is not bright — but perfectly, socially apt”.