This discovery was made when the woman, Feng Yu had been admitted to the Chinese PLA General Hospital, having experienced high levels of dizziness and nausea. When interviewed by doctors she admitted to having problems walking steadily most of her life and her mother noted she wasn’t able to walk until the age of seven and her speech was slurred and couldn’t be made out until she were six.
Doctors had her sit through a CAT scan which immediately identified the problem, there was an empty space where her cerebellum should have been. The cerebellum is found toward the back of the brain and plays an important role in motor and cognitive functions which can effect on coordination. Its names is originates from Latin (little brain) it contributes only about 10% of the brains total size, however it holds 50% of the total neurons within a denser more compact tissue.
She is one of nine people discovered to have ever been born with the condition, most of whom often die young and found on autopsy. Doctors have described the fact that she has only suffered from mild mild to moderate motor deficiency and slurred speech as ‘less than would be expected’ considering that her entire cerebellum is missing and highlights how remarkable and adaptable the brain is where other areas can adapt to compensate for when other areas are damaged or completely missing.