Awake to Protect Speech
Watch how Nolan undergoes awake brain surgery to stop his seizures — while safeguarding his speech.
Before surgery, Nolan’s seizures had cost him everyday independence, including the ability to drive. During awake brain surgery at UCSF, Nolan speaks and responds as a team led by neurosurgeon Edward Chang, MD, carefully maps the language regions of Nolan’s brain — guiding their treatment of him while protecting his ability to communicate. The result opens a path back toward the freedoms Nolan has been missing.
Edward Chang is the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery at UCSF.