Cambridge team develops technique to `listen´ to a patient´s brain during tumour surgery
(WorldNews Africa)

Patients with low-grade gliomas in their brains - a slow-spreading, but potentially life-threatening tumour - will usually receive surgery to have the tumour removed. But removing brain tissue can be risky as there is no boundary between the brain and tumour - the tumour infiltrates the brain. Removal of tumour can lead to removal of vital parts of the brain and resulting impairments in functions such as speech, movement and executive function (which enables the individual to plan, organise and execute tasks). To minimise this risk, neurosurgeons open the patient`s skull and then waken them. A local anaesthetic means the patient will feel no pain, and the brain itself contains no pain...