A study of brain plasticity and visual perception found that people who had surgery to remove half of their brains as children were able to accurately identify the difference between two words or two faces more than 80 percent of the time. Considering the volume of brain tissue removed, this accuracy underscores the limitations of the brain’s ability to rewire itself and adapt to drastic surgery or trauma. Neuroplasticity is a process that allows the brain to change its activity and rewire itself structurally or functionally in response to changes in the environment. Although brain plasticity peaks early in development, brain changes continue into adulthood. As we age, the two hemispheres of the brain become more specialized, and the two hemispheres have different responsibilities. But neuroplasticity has limits, and this hemispheric preference becomes more rigid over time.
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