Expert: Give stroke recovery a lot of time

BLOOMINGTON, Ind., Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Many neurologists say the brain has only a short window -- just six months -- in which to recover after a stroke, but a U.S. expert disagrees.

Indiana University neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor ought to know -- she suffered a rare form of stroke 10 years ago and was conscious as she lost the left half of her brain.

"I couldn't talk. I couldn't understand language," said Taylor. "I lost all recollection of my life and lost all perception of my physical presence -- I was at one with the universe. By anyone's standard, I was completely disabled."

Taylor advises that those with stroke and their caregivers give recovery a lot of time -- more time than the experts say. The brain is constantly changing because it has a plasticity that lets its cells make new connections. She also says, in her self-published book, "My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey," to honor the healing power of sleep. "With a brain trauma, every moment is filled with millions of bits of information. Sleep is when the brain organizes and files away this information, leaving people refreshed and ready to learn when they awake," she said.

For more information on the book, see drjilltaylor.com.