• Question: can brain cancer accidently inhance your brain pwoer?

    Asked by jp192 to Clare, Mariana, Pedro, Robert, Susanne on 15 Nov 2012.
    • Photo: Robert Insall

      Robert Insall answered on 15 Nov 2012:

      Not very likely, is it, JP? Would be a bit like a car smash suddenly turning your Ford Escort into a Ferrari? If it happened there would be a lot of crashed Ford Escorts…

      There is an opposite thing that’s interesting, though. Getting an infection in your brain can occasionally help sort out cancer. Apparently the infection stimulates your immune system into attacking the tumour cells.

      Of course, getting an infection in your brain is pretty bad. I wouldn’t suggest it as a cure. Interesting discovery though.

    • Photo: Susanne Muekusch

      Susanne Muekusch answered on 15 Nov 2012:

      Hi jp192,

      the cancer (no matter where it grows) usually destroys the normal tissue. In the brain, at the specific location, where in the cancer grows, lots of nerve cells are dying. That is why you always have negative impacts of different degrees on your brain power. You will never have an inhancement of brain power.

    • Photo: Clare Taylor

      Clare Taylor answered on 15 Nov 2012:

      I like Robert’s example: If only my car would turn into a Ferrari – unfortunately when a taxi crashed into my car recently, it just turned it into a crumpled mess…

      I’m not aware of any examples where a cancerous brain tumour has had a positive effect. Susanne is quite right, a cancerous tumour in the brain usually has a negative effect.

    • Photo: Mariana Campos

      Mariana Campos answered on 16 Nov 2012:

      I like this question! It is a good scientific question. But as it was said before by everyone: if you get brain cancer your normal, healthy, working brain is destroyed and the tumour tissue takes its place instead. So you wouldn’t get enhancement of your brain power, you would only loose it.

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