Eddie Adcock plays banjo during brain surgery.

[chandel77]

He needed the surgery because he had a mild case of Parkinson's disease. They wanted to get rid of his pin rolling tremors. That is why he had the banjo, so they could figure out when the electrodes were planted/sending the right amount of current to fix the tremors. Pretty interesting if you ask me! We learnt about him in the cognitive neuroscience class I am in! Crazy what they can do these days..

[foolhou2e]

what'd he need his surgery for?

[InuvikPhil]

"excuse me, could you keep it down please, I'm trying to perform BRAIN SURGERY over here!" ha ha ha

[Firehose020]

So that's why I'm so good at playing banjo...it only requires part of the brain to operate it, I'm a shoe in....

[timpenfield5]

tough guy

[CountyGolfer]

Could he play the banjo before the op???!!

[chandel77]

@CountyGolfer He could, he was a a very good banjo player, but he got a mild case of Parkinson's disease which caused him to not be able to paly very well and that is what they are fixing in the video, getting rid of his tremors from electrode stimulation :)

[djangoshmango]

Someone broke into my car and left a banjo.

[badmuthahubbard]

@djangoshmango Any brain surgery that leaves a man able to play the banjo is a failure.

[Phillyguy30]

Fuck microsoft!!!...The human brain is the best computer!!!

[MrPaulAlcantara]

amazing

[TheScientist0000000]

He then proceeded to sneeze and forget every bluegrass lick he had ever learned

[jbjumpback]

Too bad he didn't spin straw into gold.

[Peaceinlifenowar]

Cool, This Should help the Brain Surgeons Know when to stop Cutting his Brains Mwaaaaahahahhah  :P joke

[CDMVette]

@Peaceinlifenowar Actually, that's almost exactly what's going on. The surgeons keep their patients awake during brain surgery to check their motor functions and make sure they haven't nicked anything important. There are no nerve endings in the brain, so you don't feel any pain while it's going on.

Science is cool!

[ROCKSTARCRANE]

Just when you think you've seen it all.....

[OyonTheAdept]

a brain surgery without showing the brain? Bad video... unless i missed that part

[Imisshell]

It's a great way to help them know what to cut or not. Usually they ask questions periodically, but playing the banjo will let them know right away what area they are affecting. Cool!

And YaMom, it's not "eyrie", it's "eerie". An eyrie is a high nest, like something an eagle would build. Eerie is what this surgery is.

[iphoria]

this is how they fixed him. it's so cool...

[MrLongtimegone]

DAM

[YaMomTeHeHe]

something very eyrie about this :S

[cowboy6591]

can't hear anything soundtrack is almost toast

[Thinguns]

Yeh recording was literally that quiet.

[billdowey]

Does it hurt?. Just ask Eddy, drilling through his skull was the most pain he has ever experienced.

[AliceG00dy]

haa this is acee x

[dmustard11]

We can locate areas in the brain which controls consciousness but where in the brain is the mind controlled?

[luckyc2]

All over it...

[bogellenong]

ok i have question, even though brain cant feel pain, but when the doctor open the head, isnt that super hurt

[lunnyyy]

nah they numb it all and everything

[luckyc2]

You mean "Awake"? The movie with Hayden Christensen and Jessica Alba.

[deanobeany]

lol, can you also remmeber the name of that film where mickey rourke plays a wrestler?

[luckyc2]

Yeah... "The Wrestler"

[lilbrody1]

Does anybody know or remember the name of that film that came out awhile ago where there's is this guy thats undergoing surgery but is still awake?

[bigmrclean]

The brain is where the pain receptors are. The brain has it's own "pain center". There's just not any nerves where they are operating are. If their is they are deadened and he is analgesia. He is also sedated I am certain, or mildly on anesthesia. Of course the brain has pain receptors. The nerves carry the pain through the receptors throughout the body to the brain.

[RustyPancreas]

You're completely wrong. The brain itself has no pain receptors, it receives input from nerves throughout the body. You can stick a knife in your brain and feel no pain.

[allygal92393]

He is not in pain because the brain has no pain receptors, I think they are just pulling on parts of his brain or shocking it to make sure when they do whatever they do up there, they are not messing up some of his serious needs, like the the ability to talk, and in his case, play the banjo. Thats why they keep on asking him to speak and play.

[gus12195]

people can perform brain sugery while the patient is awake and functional but people cant cure a friggin cold?

[Choungui]

I don't think any virus has ever been cured

[santamon12]

damn straight - yyy oh y

[Birkal]

From what I can make out he is playing so the doctors can find out where he notice some sort of pain or something like that :s

[HillbillyJ]

No he had a hand tremor and they wanted to find out which part of the brain was responsible for it so they could fix it. The brain has no ability to sense pain, otherwise they couldn't do this operation with him awake.

[MichaelUifalusi]

not 2 sure about that

i beleive they are mapping the brain, a procedure where the patient needs to ba awake. They touch certain areas of the brain with electrodes. They generally get the patient to read off a page while touching the specific parts. if reding deteriorates, they know thats an area the must steer clear of when opperating. though im not entirely sure if this is the procedure they are preforming.

[brointheknow]

Did the surgery work?

[aleisterfiend]

Maybe his insurance ran out and he's performing to pay for them to finish.

[missouriboy66]

Guess he's playing just the 'head' of the tune........ I wonder if he will 'cut it' on his next CD. Btw, the tone of that banjo cuts like a knife. O.k., o.k., enough.....:-)

[GrimRaper767]

haha xD cool hope your all good

[211123436]

Thats just asking for an infection. Banjo's carry loads of dirty hillbilly germs.

[HillbillyJ]

The banjo is an african american instrument you idiot. I guess you have something against blacks as well?

[211123436]

Are you suggesting that rednecks are a race? And dont try to paint me as a racist....you idiots are renowned for hating blacks.

[isaidmurder]

211123436, was mistaken he meant african-american germs.

[ilovebobthecat]

hahahah tenorlord!!!!!!

[StealthSpawn]

Good luck to you craig700! It'll be all right man!

[wm81179]

Very few brain operations are performed 'awake', it's quite unusual.

[mstep3]

is he playing the theme from deliverance?

[craig8700]

lol damn this, I have to get this done in 6 months, they better knock me out, there aint no way and I mean NO WAY Im gonna be awake

[aleisterfiend]

good luck brother, God will keep you safe.

[TheThunderCunt]

yea good luck bro you'll be okay!

[vicious457]

good luck, but i think they have to keep you awake. Like I said good luck

[aleisterfiend]

I don't feel like playing my guitar when I have a fucking cold. I can't imagine doing that. They would have to knock my ass completely out.

[tenorlord]

How long until we can cure ALL the banjo players?

[frodonator]

Hahahahahahahahahaha

[clfros]

New offer to employee. Entertainment included in pay.

[blablabla983]

holy shit thats.... somnething u dont see evryday :P hope he made it fru the surgery. nice banjo playing btw ;)

[eastkybanjo91]

with my luck if i had brain surgery they'd probly fuck up and cut the banjo learnn side out and id have to start all over

[esmith97403]

with my luck, they'd cut my dick off instead

[banjohog]

Great story. If you want to read more about Eddie's surgery go to the Vanderbilt House Organ Web site.

[Snorkledorf]

I'm so gonna have my brain surgery there! If I ever have brain surgery, I mean.

Banjos in the OR, that's my kind of hospital! XD

[kcg5000]

surgery isnt any fun, and i cant imagine being awake during it for several hours

[Mikeunderscore]

amazing!

[naszie97]

I've read about similar procedures, and always been impressed at the fortitude of the patients. Amazing demonstration of that fortitude right here.

[fernwood]

Good thing he wasn't a drummer.

[leanonme1]

He is playing during the surgery so the surgeons know if they hit something important or not. I saw something like this except the guy had to draw circles on paper.

[superbrotherx]

Steve martin plays the banjo and IINVENTED the "cranial screw top method" in The Man With Two Brains. Coincidence? I think not.

[bensparasite]

i'd imagine having brain surgery being pretty nerve racking, I guess playing the banjo just chilled him out. lol

[MaggotSoldier666]

That cant be very safe lol

him wiggling around while they handle scalpels and what-not around his brain

0_0

[kcg5000]

he is pretty secured to the table

[Btelgeuse]

la ra la la la la, ra la-la...Brain rocks!

[thaboinger]

Thats amazing! He couldn't play the banjo before the surgery!

[newyorktucker]

(Thaboinger.)

LOL!!

[racer868]

wtf? is he only playing when they hit the right spot. or, is he not under anesthesia?

[jdogatl]

the reason he underwent the surgery was so that he could get functionality back in his hands. He played the banjo, one of the more important things for him. Could be a bit off but that's the just of it.

Almost all brain surgery is done with the patient awake. You need to know whats important and whats not before removing.

[jvmoran]

I'm pretty sure they don't use anesthesia on brain surgery because there aren't nerves that feel in the brain.

[IlliterateJedi]

They do it so you can respond to everything they do to make sure they don't destroy the wrong part of the brain. If they're doing brain surgery to help Parkinson's disease they need you to be able to move your hands and feet to make sure the shaking is going down as they do the surgery. It's more a functionality issue rather than a pain issue.

[Btelgeuse]

I'm pretty sure they use anesthesia on brain surgery because there are nerves in the skin where finally the brain feels.

[elmariachi304]

There are nerves in the skin in your scalp, so yes, they would use local anaesthesia in order for him not to feel the hole they bore in his freakin head... but the brain itself has no pain receptors on it so the doctors can poke and prod without him feelin a damn thing.

[KineticOne]

I hope nobody was getting a rectal exam in the room next door when that banjo was playing.

[Forkenzo]

HAHAHAHAHAHA i laugh my ass off just thinking about the other dude face "uh wtf?"

[shanodude]

with most brain surgery, the patient needs to be awake to ensure the surgeon is not doing more damage while operating. they regularly check cognetive and motor skills.

I've never been much of a banjo fan but i certainly can apreciate the skill involved and eddie adcock not only has this skill in spades but a mountain of courage to partake in such a risky proceedure that could have killed him or made his condition worse. hats off and a round of applause for youe eddie. keep playing man.

[beintelegant]

Well, of course, it was done to ensure he could play banjo -- and boy can he play banjo good....

it is standard practice in neurosurgery to do the surgery with a conscious patient - the brain has no nerve endings so cannot feel pain at all; bone, on the other hand, feels a huge amount of pain, so don't try this at home folks... ;-)

[juanski11]

try that while giving birth

[tatisimo]

Scheming doctors... way to get a free concert.

[CCCamikaze]

impressive!

[electrourge]

OOOMMMGGG!!! THIS IS SO COOL

[Barshki]

The doctors might have actually asked him to do it to show that his brain was still functioning throughout the surgery.

[Me6is]

Very fun, and well done by the doctors.

[gruppol2]

Quite amazing..