Default-mode network activity is retained in the isolated hemisphere of people after hemispherotomy.
Brain Communications 2026 Tobias Bauer, Charlotte Gauvry, Sebastian Markett et al.
Hemispherotomy is a surgical intervention for severe drug-resistant epilepsy that fully disconnects the lesional brain hemisphere from the rest of the nervous system. This creates a rare opportunity to explore whether consciousness can be sustained without external input. The default-mode network, linked to introspective mental activity, is considered a necessary, though not sufficient,...