Inevitably, we learn a lot about ourselves when something goes wrong. By studying what happens to people afflicted by various forms of brain degeneration, for example, we have learned a lot about how the brain works. This generally means that by understanding what goes wrong when specific parts of the brain die, we gain an insight into the function of that part of the brain.
Yet brain degeneration does not always have wholly negative effects. A surprising new finding is that as some forms of dementia progress and various brain functions are impaired, other brain abilities are stimulated.
In the May 27 issue of the journal Neurology, there is a report of an artist whose skill improved as her dementia progressed. The woman was a high-school art teacher who had emigrated to the United States from China as a teenager and studied painting in college. She had completed a master's degree in fine arts, combining training in Western representational art and Chinese brush-painting.