Laurent Cohen is professor of neurology at the Pitié-Salpétrière Paris-VI hospital. He is the author of L’Homme-thermomètre, Pourquoi les chimpanzés ne parlent pas, Pourquoi les filles sont si bonnes en maths, and Comment life avec les oreilles, all best-sellers.
Following a series of strokes, Monsieur A. was persuaded that a double was taking the place of his wife as soon as her back was turned; Monsieur B. had awoken incapable of reading a word or even a letter; Monsieur C. had been found in a train station not knowing who she was; Mme D. no longer knew how to use a pair of scissors or a toothbrush; Mme E. spent her days without being bored, seated, immobile, in front of her blank television; Mme F. saw medieval knights riding through Paris and herds of cattle coming out of public parks; Monsieur G. filled his living room, basement, and bathtub with old televisions…

These stories and others go well beyond being anecdotal. They reveal the very workings of our minds, and raise questions to which neurology, the neurosciences, and brain imaging are providing an increasing number of answers...