More often, split-brain patients report complaints that are less bizarre. For example, some patients experience difficulties in associating names with faces, which is due to a disconnection between verbal skills and facial recognition skills. Similarly, other patients report difficulties in handling geometrical tasks and may have trouble in geometry classes. Although patients do report problems, it is important to note that these are most often subtle in nature. Apart from the corpus collosum, there are other unifying mechanisms in the brain that provide alternate links between the hemispheres.
Ipsilateral fibers allow each hemisphere to exert some control over the same side of the body.
They allow the side of the body that is stimulated to become aware of that stimulation, although the body's response is ultimately controlled by the hemisphere on the opposite side. Only the cortical regions of the brain are dissociated. Parts of the brainstem, such as the left and right superior colliculi, communicate through these secondary commissures and information about the location of objects is shared. The brainstem also plays a role in emotional experience, further unifying the brain's responses. Communication between the two hemispheres is essential to the body's functioning as a unit.