Neuroscience and education: developmental study of a hemispherectomy case / Neurociencia y educación: estudio evolutivo de un caso de hemisferectomía

Abstract

Neuroscience, psychology, and education are disciplines with different philosophies and methods. Although an interdisciplinary approach is an opportunity to explore the educational implications of neuropsychological research, a good model for this dialogue does not exist yet. To promote the integration of these disciplines, which investigate human learning, the present work analyzes a hemispherectomy case study of a high-functioning young boy. Our goal is to present a neuropsychological vision about learning, the mind, and the influence of the context. This case is extremely rare, as not many individuals have been treated with this technique, and must be interpreted with caution. Nevertheless, the presented case study, and other similar cases that we will mention, afford a unique angle from which we can explore neuroscientific principles such as: the brain is highly plastic, the brain is changed by experience and learning, and human brains are as unique as faces. The goal is to promote the integration of neuroscience, psychology and education with a note of attention to misconceptions and myths in a science not completely known yet.