[flashbunny]

it certainly is.

I don't know if you ever saw the segment on 60 minutes (yeah, I know) with lesley stahl and the young, blind musical savants, but it's another amazing piece on how the brain works. Seemingly damaged in one area, but other areas flourish.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/20/60minutes/main957718.shtml

[Lady Jag]

After reading about savants a long time ago, I studied IQ a bit. IQ is measured in dozens of categories (sections of the brain). Some parts work much better than others whether you are smart or not so smart, and basically, that's where savants come from. They are exceptional in one part.

Just as some people are fantastic with their hands, but can't read, sometimes music is the only way a savant can communicate...there are so many variations that the brain is hard to understand, even though there are tons of clues. Music is evident in savants and Alzheimer's treatment, but why?

From when I started looking into this, our knowledge has skyrocketed and continues to do so. Wouldn't it be great to have some breakthroughs soon.