The article “Could Conjoined Twins Share a Mind?” was written by Susan Dominus for the New York Times on May 25th, 2011. It describes some daily aspects of Krista and Tatiana Hogan’s lives - or rather, life, - as craniopagus conjoined twins, joined at the head. Dominus details how the twins are at once distinct and connected through their actions, reactions, and cognitive functions.
Cases of craniopagus are extremely rare, and the twins’ neural anatomy is even rarer. According to the article, twins being joined at the head are “one in 2.5 million, of which only a fraction survive.” Krista and Tatiana have what neuroscientists refer to as a thalamic bridge, which is responsible for relaying sensory information between both the girls’ brains. …show more content…
Dominus recounted a time when she saw Tatiana answer to her name alone. The author noted how they didn’t use the word “we,” but used “I” when describing themselves. It brought to mind how the twins must have their own unique self-concept, and that their shared sensations invariably affect rates of myelination in their brains. The idea of a thalamic bridge is both fascinating and complex, and the fact that they sense each other as one must have its fair share of positive and negative effects on their empathy, and how they play - would it ever be considered solitary play if only one twin is playing? The author’s concluding words stood out to me, “The girls drifted off for the night, to dream, together or apart, their secret dreams.” It made me wonder if the girls truly do share their dreams, or if they have their own. In their dreams, are they physically separated, or still as one?
It was heartwarming to read how, despite the twins’ extremely unique situation, their family treats them as they would any other child. Their curiosity and happiness are universal, and serve as a lesson that the questions we may ask about such a situation aren’t the most pivotal. It’s not always a matter of how, why, or if - sometimes it’s as simple as asking if one is happy, and from Krista and Tatiana’s bright smiles, the answer is
Cases of craniopagus are extremely rare, and the twins’ neural anatomy is even rarer. According to the article, twins being joined at the head are “one in 2.5 million, of which only a fraction survive.” Krista and Tatiana have what neuroscientists refer to as a thalamic bridge, which is responsible for relaying sensory information between both the girls’ brains. …show more content…
Dominus recounted a time when she saw Tatiana answer to her name alone. The author noted how they didn’t use the word “we,” but used “I” when describing themselves. It brought to mind how the twins must have their own unique self-concept, and that their shared sensations invariably affect rates of myelination in their brains. The idea of a thalamic bridge is both fascinating and complex, and the fact that they sense each other as one must have its fair share of positive and negative effects on their empathy, and how they play - would it ever be considered solitary play if only one twin is playing? The author’s concluding words stood out to me, “The girls drifted off for the night, to dream, together or apart, their secret dreams.” It made me wonder if the girls truly do share their dreams, or if they have their own. In their dreams, are they physically separated, or still as one?
It was heartwarming to read how, despite the twins’ extremely unique situation, their family treats them as they would any other child. Their curiosity and happiness are universal, and serve as a lesson that the questions we may ask about such a situation aren’t the most pivotal. It’s not always a matter of how, why, or if - sometimes it’s as simple as asking if one is happy, and from Krista and Tatiana’s bright smiles, the answer is