I think I would very much prefer to remain under general anesthesia during a major surgery, especially when it involves my brain! However, this daring musician from China thinks otherwise, non-chalantly strumming his guitar as he has his brain operated on by surgeons. The 57-year-old musician goes by the moniker Mr. Li, and as he suffers from a rare neurological condition known as musician’s dystonia, this would have an adverse effect on his musical playing abilities in the future. Not by choice, Li had to remain conscious and play the guitar throughout the operation as doctors monitored electrodes in his brain in order to figure out which corresponding neurons were working in tandem to the stimulation received while playing.
Cai Xiaodong was the surgeon behind the operation, and he did share that Li’s impaired brain function is currently stimulated through battery-powered electrodes that have been implanted in his shoulder. The batteries happen to be located within the “brain pacemaker”, and has a targeted lifespan of approximately 10 years.
It is definitely quite an unnerving experience to know that your skull has been compromised so that your brain is operated upon, and in full view of everyone in the room, right? Thankfully, there was no Hannibal Lecter in the vicinity of the operating theater at that point in time.