What term describes the surgical condition that involves severing the brain's two hemispheres?

The term that describes the surgical condition involving the severance of the brain's two hemispheres is known as "split brain." This surgical procedure, formally called a corpus callosotomy, is typically performed to alleviate severe epilepsy by preventing epileptic seizures from spreading between the hemispheres of the brain.

In individuals with a split brain, the communication pathways between the left and right hemispheres are disrupted, which leads to interesting neurological phenomena. For instance, patients may exhibit unique cognitive and perceptual behaviors that reveal how each hemisphere functions independently, showcasing the specialization of each side.

Understanding this concept is crucial in the study of neuroscience and psychology, as it highlights the distinct roles that the different hemispheres of the brain play in processing information, which contributes to our knowledge of lateralization in brain function.