ABSTRACT
Norman Geschwind is recognised as one of most influential figures in post-war neuroscience, who in his many journal articles and books left a legacy of knowledge and ideas that led to a rebirth of what he termed behavioural neurology. While the idea that brain dysfunction could be better understood as a result of disconnection of pathways, rather than focal cortical damage, was not new, the clarity of Geschwind's exposition and force of argument persuaded many of its importance. Geschwind further stressed that the human brain is unique because of its rich intra-connectivity between association areas. For Geschwind, knowledge of this wiring is profoundly important for a functional understanding of the human brain and being able to accurately diagnose clinical syndromes arising from its damage. According to Geschwind, a disconnection syndrome occurs when a lesion of the myelinated white matter occurs to the commissural fibres, or to the association pathways within a hemisphere.
