It鈥檚 a common fact that the cerebral cortex provides the highest functions of human cognition, like thought and action. What鈥檚 not so well known is that your brain isn鈥檛 so different from that of an average sheep.
It鈥檚 a common fact that the cerebral cortex鈥攎aking up the outer layer of neural tissue of the human brain鈥攑rovides the highest functions of human cognition, like thought and action. What鈥檚 not so well known is that鈥攁side from that wrinkled outermost layer鈥攜our brain isn鈥檛 so different from that of an average sheep.
鈥淭he sheep brain is identical, though much smaller, to the human brain up to the level of the brain stem, which is where all of the cranial nerves that control motor speech are located,鈥� said Robert Goldfarb, Ph.D., an aphasiologist and professor in the in Adelphi鈥檚 Ruth S. Ammon School of Education. 鈥淚t鈥檚 remarkable to see.鈥� And seeing it couldn鈥檛 be easier.
While sheep brain dissection at Adelphi is nothing new, Dr. Goldfarb鈥攚ho teaches on aphasia, advanced anatomy, physiology, neurology and research design鈥攔ecently produced to illustrate proper approach when it comes to sheep brain wet work. The video鈥檚 primary audience are master’s and Ph.D. level students taking advanced anatomy, physiology and neurology courses within the language pathology curriculums at Adelphi.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not something that鈥檚 technically so difficult when students have proper guidance,鈥� Dr. Goldfarb said.
The practical assignment replaces a lesson that students otherwise might have taken from a textbook, Dr. Goldfarb notes, and will aid graduates later as they conduct therapy sessions. 鈥淭hese kinds of dissections allow students to better appreciate where the motor control in humans originates because they鈥檙e handling the human brain in an identical but miniaturized version,鈥� he said.
In the video and in class, Dr. Goldfarb even explains the origin of and the effects of a brain stem stroke鈥攁 left pontine CVA鈥攕omething he suffered himself in June 2013. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 convenient in the sheep brain because the brain stem is the part identical in humans,鈥� he said.
The fact that Dr. Goldfarb survived the sort of attack he teaches about鈥攐ne that can lead to disorders he literally wrote the book on (Language and Motor Speech Disorders in Adults, Third Edition; Halpern and Goldfarb, 2013)鈥攊s perhaps the ultimate teachable moment.
Dr. Goldfarb recounted his struggles in a 2016 TEDx talk at Adelphi that can be viewed online. He also wrote a detailed accounting of the events leading up to his attack and the ups and downs of his rehabilitation in the journal Asphasiology.
Dr. Goldfarb鈥檚 expertise in speech and language pathology often bridges that gap and is translatable into fields like neuroscience research. For instance, he noted that MRI and CT scans are often considered the last word in many diagnoses but can also result in false positives.
鈥淚nstead of just looking at the brain, you should start using auditory measures, in effect listening to the brain,鈥� Dr. Goldfarb said. 鈥淭here are mathematical principles used in Doppler profiling for undersea research that you can also use when examining arteries in the brain.鈥�
This form of listening is currently used for Parkinson鈥檚 Disease patients to complete deep brain stimulation. And while the technology isn鈥檛 currently available for stroke victims, Dr. Goldfarb is certain it鈥檚 on the way.
鈥淚f we can do this and measure the middle cerebral artery鈥攚here strokes can cause speech and language problems鈥攚e鈥檇 really have a leg up on the kinds of treatments doctors need to start and which not to start,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he wrong treatment can result in catastrophic results.鈥�
鈥淭his is a much broader field than our students realize and we鈥檙e sure to let them know,鈥� Dr. Goldfarb said. 鈥淚t allows for a lot of creativity.鈥�
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