Krista and Tatiana Hogan

Last updated
Krista and Tatiana Hogan
Born (2006-10-25) October 25, 2006 (age 17)
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
NationalityCanadian
Parent(s)Brendan Hogan and Felicia Simms

Krista and Tatiana Hogan (born October 25, 2006) are Canadians who are conjoined craniopagus twins. They are joined at the head and share a skull and a brain. They were born in Vancouver, British Columbia,[ citation needed ] and are the only unseparated conjoined twins of that type currently alive in Canada.[ citation needed ] They live with their mother, Felicia Simms, in Vernon, British Columbia, have two sisters and a brother and often travel to Vancouver for care at BC Children's Hospital and Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children. [1]

Contents

Birth

The twins were given a 20 percent chance of survival at birth. [2] At birth at B.C. Women's Hospital & Health Centre, they were described as "wriggly, vigorous and very vocal". [3] They weighed 12 and a half pounds (5.7 kg) [4] when they were born by Caesarean section.

Early infant life

Tatiana is smaller and less robust than Krista. Tests on them in April 2007 showed that Tatiana's heart was working harder than Krista's and that she had high blood pressure because of it—Tatiana's heart was supplying part of her blood to Krista's brain. A surgery was planned to give Krista's heart a "jump start" so Tatiana's would not have to work so hard. [5]

The twins' nervous systems are highly interconnected. Their doctors reported that when one of them is tickled, the other jumps, and that putting a pacifier in the mouth of one could cause the other to stop crying. [5]

The twins' birth, potential separation, depth of community support and their family's financial situation have been subject to significant media coverage in Canada. They and their mother were also guests on The Tyra Banks Show in the U.S.

In August 2007, it was declared the twins cannot be separated, due to the likelihood of the surgery killing or paralyzing one or both girls. [6]

The family reduced the twins' public profile due to a contract giving exclusive access to a documentary crew for National Geographic and the Discovery Channel UK. The show was broadcast first in Britain in spring 2010, and then aired in June in Canada and the U.S. [7]

The documentary followed a year in the twins' life and included a "particularly poignant" meeting between the family and Lori and George Schappell, 51, the world’s oldest twins to survive being joined at the head. [8]

There is evidence [9] that the twins can see through each other's eyes due to brain conjoining. Their thalami are joined by connector tissue, a "thalamus bridge."

Progression to childhood

In January 2009, a documentary was filmed which reported on the twins, and followed their progress up to their third birthday. This documentary was released and aired in October, 2010. In this documentary, it was confirmed that though each girl has her own thalamus, there is a connector piece, a "thalamus bridge", which connects the two thalami together. Through this shared brain tissue structure and the interconnected neurons, one brain receives signals from the other brain and vice versa. This documentary also reported on experiments that were carried out that confirmed that visual cortex signals based on what one girl saw, were received by both girls' brains. So in effect, one twin could see what the other twin was seeing, making them unique even among craniopagus twins.

At this time, Tatiana suffered from a sleep apnea condition that occasionally caused her to stop breathing for up to 20 seconds. A sleep apnea specialist, Dr. Fred Kozak, surgically treated her sleep apnea. Not long after the surgery, her heart shrank to a more normal size and its rate dropped such that it no longer carried all of the burden of circulating blood for both brains. [10]

The documentary reports that the twins are progressing well, and have achieved all the normal childhood milestones, such as walking, talking, and counting.

A 2014 CBC Radio documentary described how they can feel and taste what the other is experiencing. [11] Later it was also confirmed that they can see through each other's eyes. [12]

Shared consciousness

The twins' unique thalamic connection may provide insight into the philosophical and neurological foundations of consciousness. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thalamus</span> Structure within the brain

The thalamus is a large mass of gray matter on the lateral walls of the third ventricle forming the dorsal part of the diencephalon. Nerve fibers project out of the thalamus to the cerebral cortex in all directions, known as the thalamocortical radiations, allowing hub-like exchanges of information. It has several functions, such as the relaying of sensory and motor signals to the cerebral cortex and the regulation of consciousness, sleep, and alertness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conjoined twins</span> Medical condition

Conjoined twins, popularly referred to as Siamese twins, are twins joined in utero. It is a very rare phenomenon, estimated to occur in anywhere between one in 49,000 births to one in 189,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence in Southwest Asia and Africa. Approximately half are stillborn, and an additional one-third die within 24 hours. Most live births are female, with a ratio of 3:1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Obesity hypoventilation syndrome</span> Condition in which severely overweight people fail to breathe rapidly or deeply enough

Obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) is a condition in which severely overweight people fail to breathe rapidly or deeply enough, resulting in low oxygen levels and high blood carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. The syndrome is often associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which causes periods of absent or reduced breathing in sleep, resulting in many partial awakenings during the night and sleepiness during the day. The disease puts strain on the heart, which may lead to heart failure and leg swelling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craniopagus parasiticus</span> Rare medical condition

Craniopagus parasiticus is an extremely rare type of parasitic twinning occurring in about 4 to 6 of 10,000,000 births. In craniopagus parasiticus, a parasitic twin head with an undeveloped body is attached to the head of a developed twin. Fewer than a dozen cases of this type of conjoined twin have been documented in literature.

Abigail Loraine Hensel and Brittany Lee Hensel are American conjoined twins. They are dicephalic parapagus twins, and are highly symmetric for conjoined twins. Each has a heart, stomach, spine, pair of lungs, and spinal cord. Each twin controls one arm and one leg. When they were infants, learning to crawl, walk, and clap required cooperation. They can eat and write separately and simultaneously. Activities such as running, swimming, hair-brushing, playing piano or volleyball, riding a bicycle, or driving a car require coordination.

Maria and Daria Ivanovna Krivoshlyapova were Ischiopagus tripus conjoined twins from Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lori and George Schappell</span> American conjoined twins (1961–2024)

Lori and George Schappell were American conjoined twins. George performed as a country singer. As of 2020, they were the oldest living conjoined twins in the world. Guinness World Records noted that George's gender transition made him and Lori the first set of conjoined twins to identify as different genders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Obstructive sleep apnea</span> Sleeping and breathing disorder

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common sleep-related breathing disorder and is characterized by recurrent episodes of complete or partial obstruction of the upper airway leading to reduced or absent breathing during sleep. These episodes are termed "apneas" with complete or near-complete cessation of breathing, or "hypopneas" when the reduction in breathing is partial. In either case, a fall in blood oxygen saturation, a disruption in sleep, or both, may result. A high frequency of apneas or hypopneas during sleep may interfere with the quality of sleep, which – in combination with disturbances in blood oxygenation – is thought to contribute to negative consequences to health and quality of life. The terms obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) or obstructive sleep apnea–hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) may be used to refer to OSA when it is associated with symptoms during the daytime.

Clarence and Carl Aguirre are former conjoined twins born in Manila. They were conjoined at the top of the head and shared 8 centimetres (3.1 in) of brain. More than 1–2 centimetres (0.4–0.8 in) will affect brain functionality in one or both of twins. Without separation, they were expected to live around 6–8 months.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polycephaly</span> Condition of having more than one head

Polycephaly is the condition of having more than one head. The term is derived from the Greek stems poly meaning "many" and kephalē meaning "head". A polycephalic organism may be thought of as one being with a supernumerary body part, or as two or more beings with a shared body.

<i>Body Shock</i> TV documentary series

Body Shock is a British medical documentary series about the conditions or lives of extraordinary people. It was originally produced by redback for Channel 4 in the UK, but in September 2006, it was taken over by ArkMedia.

Joseph Banda and Luka Banda are twin brothers who used to be conjoined. They were born joined at the back of the skull and faced in opposite directions. In late 1997, neurosurgeon Ben Carson led a team of 50 Zambian and South African specialists to separate the 11-month-old twins in a 28-hour operation. They did not share any organs, but shared intricate blood vessels that flowed into each other's brains. In 2001, the twins were fitted with artificial skulls to permanently close their heads. In an interview, Carson stated about the operation:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B.C. Women's Hospital & Health Centre</span> Hospital in British Columbia, Canada

B.C. Women's Hospital & Health Centre, an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), is a Canadian hospital located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, specializing in women's health programs. It is the only facility in Western Canada dedicated to the health of women, newborns and families, and is the largest maternity hospital in the country. It is a teaching hospital and major provincial health care resource, and is a key component in women's health research.

Krista is a female given name, a mostly North European variant of the male name Christian. The name Krista can be spelled with a "Ch", making it Christa. It means "Follower of Christ".

Anastasia and Tatiana Dogaru are craniopagus conjoined twins. They were scheduled to begin the first of several surgeries to separate them at Rainbow Babies and Children's Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. However, in August 2007 the surgery was called off as too dangerous.

<i>The Girls</i> (Lansens novel) 2005 novel by Lori Lansens

The Girls is the second novel by Canadian novelist and screenwriter Lori Lansens. It was first published in 2005 by Knopf Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dicephalic parapagus twins</span> Rare form of partial twinning

Dicephalic parapagus is a rare form of partial twinning with two heads side by side on one torso. Infants conjoined this way are sometimes called "two-headed babies" in popular media. The condition is also called parapagus dicephalus.

Craniopagus twins are conjoined twins who are fused at the cranium. The union may occur on any portion of the cranium, but does not primarily involve either the face or the foramen magnum; the two brains are usually separate, but they may share some brain tissue. Conjoined twins are genetically identical and always share the same sex. The thorax and abdomen are separate and each twin has their own umbilicus and umbilical cord.

James Tait Goodrich was an American neurosurgeon. He was the director of the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Montefiore Health System and Professor of Clinical Neurological Surgery, Pediatrics, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and gained worldwide recognition for performing multiple successful separations of conjoined twins. He assisted in two craniopagus separations with Dr. Alferayan A in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the first one done May 5, 2014 and the second one done February 14, 2016. Both pairs were successfully separated and are doing well.

Dr Noor ul Owase Jeelani BMed.Sci (Hons), BMBS, MRCS, MBA, MPhil, FRCS (NeuroSurg.) is a Kashmiri-British neurosurgeon and academic. He is a Consultant Paediatric Neurosurgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH) and was the Head of the Department of Neurosurgery from 2012 until 2018. He is an Honorary Associate Professor at the Institute of Child Health, University College London. He leads the FaceValue research group in Craniofacial Morphometrics, device design, and clinical outcomes.

References

  1. ↑ "BC's Hogan twins share a brain and see out of each other's eyes". www.cbc.ca.
  2. ↑ "Krista and Tatiana Hogan share taste, sight, feelings and thought. Here's what their life is like". Mamamia. 2021-01-11. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
  3. ↑ Statement from BC Women's regarding Felicia Simms delivery Archived 2007-06-19 at the Wayback Machine ., News release, BC Women's Hospital & Health Centre, October 25, 2006
  4. ↑ The Twins Who Share a Brain
  5. 1 2 "CTV British Columbia – Family learns B.C. twins can't be separated – CTV News, Shows and Sports – Canadian Television". Ctvbc.ctv.ca. 2007-08-03. Retrieved 2011-05-12.
  6. ↑ "Doctors won't separate conjoined twins". Canada.com. 2007-08-04. Retrieved 2011-05-12.
  7. ↑ Tatiana and Krista on the move, By Ken MacQueen, Macleans. February 8, 2010.
  8. ↑ Today's TV, The Mirror, May 25, 2010
  9. ↑ Dominus, Susan (May 25, 2011). "Could Conjoined Twins Share a Mind?". New York Times. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  10. ↑ Twins Who Share A Brain, Doc Zone Video documentary, October 14, 2010 CBC.ca
  11. ↑ The Hogan sisters; how conjoined twins share body and mind The Current, March 13, 2014
  12. ↑ "Inseparable: Ten Years Joined At The Head". June 27, 2019. Archived from the original on 2020-05-07.
  13. ↑ Cochrane, Tom (2021). "A case of shared consciousness". Synthese. 199 (1–2): 1019–1037. doi:10.1007/s11229-020-02753-6. ISSN   0039-7857. S2CID   255063719.

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