Ethics

Lobectomy as Performance Enhancement?

By Adam Kolber

This New York Times article tells the story of ultra-long-distance runner, Diane Van Deren.  In 1997, she had a lobectomy to treat epilepsy.  While most of the article discusses her truly amazing athletic ability, the article briefly suggests that the removal of part of her brain has actually enhanced her ability to run:

?When she is running, it helps her,? Don Gerber, a clinical neuropsychologist who has worked extensively with Van Deren, said of the hole in Van Deren?s brain. ?In the rest of her life, it does not.?

. . .

Van Deren can no longer read maps. Telling her to go five miles, turn left, then right, then left is a confusing algorithm. She rarely runs a race without a wrong turn. ?Everyone knows not to follow me now,? she said.

Gerber, who works at Craig Hospital, a rehabilitation hospital in Englewood, Colo., for people with brain or spinal-cord injuries, said that Van Deren ?can go hours and hours and have no idea how long it?s been.? Her mind carries little dread for how far she is from the finish. She does not track her pace, even in training. Her gauge is the sound of her feet on the trail.

?It?s a kinesthetic melody that she hits,? Gerber said. ?And when she hits it, she knows she?s running well.?

The article also makes clear that she was already an impressive athlete before the surgery.  So if there is any enhancement effect, it's hardly clear.  And, of course, the surgery has also increased the likelihood that she'll make a wrong turn on one of her 100+ mile treks.  So, it may not be a net enhancement, if it's an enhancement in any sense.  Still, it's interesting to consider the possibility that one could enhance athletic performance by removing a part of the brain that makes us fearful of ultra-long athletic activity.

Full post as published by Neuroethics and Law on July 09, 2009 (boomark / email).