11/13/2023 0 Comments My brain recording my good memories![]() “The pressure is building up inside this space in the brain, and the fluid starts to crush your brain against the side of the skull,” says Vaughan Bell, a neuroscientist at University College London, who discussed Matthew’s injury at the Wellcome Collection event. In Matthew’s brain a little sac of tissue called a “colloid cyst” had grown to block the entrance of the ventricle, stopping the cerebrospinal fluid from escaping. He often had to work all day with one eye closed.Ī CT scan revealed that the problem lay at the entrance of one of the brain’s ventricles – the cavities that aid the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid around our neural tissue. It should have been time for him to reap the rewards of that hard work, but after a few months in the new job, he started noticing some strange things happening to his body: a loss of sensation in his fingertips, excruciating headaches and double vision. Going to college in the day and working evenings and weekends to pay for his keep, he eventually earned a place at University College London to study mathematics and computer science, and graduated to find a job as a computer programmer. He ended up homeless before living with a Franciscan friar. After around a month, however, he was kicked out of their home. He was born in Birmingham in the UK, but spent most of his childhood abroad before moving to live with relatives in London at the age of 17. Even before his injury, Matthew had been very ambitious and driven in the face of hardship. He is quietly spoken and conscientious as he talks about his past, often turning to confirm details with his colleague Ben Graham, who he has known for most of the 10 years since his operation. I first came across him when he gave a talk at the Wellcome Collection in London, and keen to know more, I later interviewed him about his experiences. ![]() Today, Matthew volunteers at Headway East London, a charity that supports people with brain injury.
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