Indian man who played guitar during brain surgery makes recovery

BANGALORE, INDIA: An Indian man who strummed the guitar as surgeons operated on his brain has demonstrated how the unusual procedure cured the problem hindering his ability to play.

Abhishek Prasad had been suffering a neurological disorder that caused his fingers to cramp in one hand, preventing him from strumming properly.

The 37-year-old sought treatment from numerous specialists before doctors at Bangalore's Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain Hospital recommended a bizarre procedure to reverse the condition known as "musician's dystonia".

Surgeons drilled into his skull under anaesthetic and attached an electrode that allowed them to pinpoint which part of the brain needed "burning" to cure the rare nerve disorder.

"During this entire surgery, Abhishek was fully awake and was playing the guitar, since this problem only comes when he tries to play," Dr Sharan Srinivasan said in a statement on Thursday.

"This feedback was very important for the doctors to get the exact location of the target to be lesioned."

Prasad described as "magical" the surreal experience of being conscious on the operating table during the seven-hour procedure as his fingers slowly became more dexterous.

"I was amazed to see my fingers improve magically on the operation table itself. By the end of the surgery, my fingers were 100 per cent cured and I could move them like before," he told the Times of India newspaper.

Prasad had his stitches removed on Thursday in hospital, where he thanked doctors and played a few tunes to demonstrate how well he had recovered.