A woman suffering from a particular kind of epilepsy, had to get her amygdala removed. That is a particular part of the brain which is responsible for generating emotions. While you would expect someone with their amygdala removed to be less empathetic towards others, this woman apparently suffered from 'hyper empathy'. Doctors then tested her physiological reactions and asserted that despite the amygdala being removed, the other parts of the brain formed new connections which, in a way, boosted her empathy skills. You would say surgery for epilepsy? Yes Epilepsy surgery is performed to either remove the brain area where seizures begin or stop the spread of seizure activity. It is a treatment option for people with seizures that are not controlled with medication. "Medically intractable seizures" are defined as persistent seizures despite trials of three or more antiepileptic drugs, alone or in combination. The goal of surgery is to to achieve better seizure control without causing loss of brain function. Surgical results can be considered curative (stopping the seizures) or palliative (restricting the spread of the seizure). The type of surgery performed depends on the type of seizures and where they begin in the brain . Curative procedures, such as lobectomy, cortical excision, or hemispherectomy aim to remove the area of the brain (seizure focus) causing seizures.ย